Something Lost Will Never Return
by Love-fades-mine-has-021
Summary: Akashi decided to reunite the Generation of Miracles, even just for few months and everyone agreed, except for one certain teal-haired boy, but why did he refuse? Is it because of his secret that drifts him away from his friends? None can read the shadow's eyes but it seems like he's a keeping a secret—a secret no one, not even Akashi [!], knows. Chapter 8 is up! Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

"**Something Lost Will Never Return"**

_**Akashi decided to reunite the Generation of Miracles, even just for few months and everyone agreed, except for one certain teal-haired boy, but why did he refuse? Is it because of his secret that drifts him away from his friends? None can read the shadow's eyes but it seems like he's a keeping a secret—a secret no one, not even Akashi [?!], knows. Read and Review!**_

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_**Chapter One:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

Kagami Taiga, Seirin Gakuen Basketball Club's ace, closed his book as the bell rang which indicated that all classes were dismissed.

"That's all for now." Their subject teacher announced, lifted his books and went out of the room.

The room was filled with chatters and laughter as his classmates talked about what they wanted to do later. He's not really the type who cared about what others were planning, but sometimes he just couldn't help wondering what he would be doing right now if he wasn't part of the basketball team.

He smirked with his own thoughts and placed his scattered books and notebooks inside his school bag and stood up. "Alright, I'm really fired up today! Let's go to the gym, Ku—" His sentence was cut when he turned and found the one behind him, Kuroko Tetsuya—Generation of Miracles' and Seirin's phantom player- had made no move and was just staring into space.

He raised an eyebrow and grabbed the teal-head's head. "Oi, Kuroko, I said."

The said boy blinked then looked up. "What?"

"It's already dismissal. Don't you want to go to the gym yet? Coach will kill us if we're late, you know." He replied.

Kuroko blinked again and quickly fixed his books and placed them inside his own school bag.

"What's the matter with you? You've been spacing out since the day after we miraculously won against Rakuzan." Kagami pointed out.

"Miraculously." His shadow echoed, his tone kinda sound amused.

"Oi, at least I admitted that it was actually a miracle. If you didn't jump to the boundary line and even fell into the ground just to pass the ball to me, we might have lost with only one point difference. It was a good thing I was able to shoot it."

Kuroko stood up and lifted his bag. "Kagami-kun, you're bragging." He grumbled.

"I'm not!" Kagami defended.

Kuroko walked to the door and opened it before going outside.

"Oi, Kuroko, I said I wasn't bragging."

"Ok, you weren't." The other responded, his tone unbelieving.

Kagami twitched. "Hey!"

_**~LFMH021~**_

"You're late!" Riko Aida, Seirin's coach, yelled at the freshmen duo of their team and then threw the water bottle beside her.

Kuroko, who was in front, quickly used misdirection and the water bottle hit Kagami.

"Bull's eye to the head. Nice, coach!" The three other freshmen congratulated.

"Shut up!" Kagami shouted to them.

The three hugged each other. "Scary…"

"Kuroko, you bastard, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" The red-head growled and tried grabbing his 'shadow''s head but the latter quickly dodged it.

"No, of course not, Kagami-kun."

Kagami tried grabbing his head again, but Kuroko dodged it again. "Oi!"

"Don't do that, I'll shrink more." Kuroko complained.

"So, you actually admit that you're short?"

"No, you're just tall. Actually huge." Kuroko replied, still impassive. "Huge in many ways."

"Hey! What does that suppose to mean?"

"I wonder." The phantom player replied and removed his outside uniform. "If you eat a tray of hamburgers every day and a bunch of sandwiches at lunch, I wonder what your weight will be."

His statement made all his other teammates laugh. "Yeah, I wonder too. What's your weight, Kagami?" Hyuuga Junpei, their captain, asked.

"I weigh about 75 to 80 kilograms." Kiyoshi Teppei, the one who founded their team, stated.

"No one asked you." Hyuuga snapped.

"Ow! That hurts! Smile more, Junpei~"

"Shut up!"

"Gaah! I'm not that f-f-f-fat!" Kagami replied.

"You sound like a girl." Izuki Shun, the one who possessed the 'Eagle Eye' commented.

"I don't!" Kagami defended.

"See? You defend like a girl; a girl guilty." Koganei, one of his other senpais, agreed.

"I'm not girl and I'm not guilty!" The red-head yelled.

"You _are _guilty, Kagami-kun." Kuroko mumbled and then nodded.

Nigou barked in agreement.

"See? Even Nigou—" Tsuchida, also one of their senpais, started.

"OW!" Everyone inside the court complained right after they all received smacks in the head by their coach.

"I want you back, already in jerseys, after one minute or you'll make 500 push-ups without break!" The brown-head coach growled.

Seirin basketball team members ran to the men's locker room. "HURRY! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

_**~LFMH021~**_

"Alright, freshmen versus sophomores! Let the game start now!" Riko shouted and then the game started in front of her.

She watched each member and wrote on her records of what each needed for his training menu.

She pulled out her phone and opened her 'Gallery' and then 'Audio' before picking one song and played it to the maximum volume.

Everyone stopped in unison and looked at her. "What?" She queried.

"Nice." Kiyoshi commented.

"It has a basketball impact on it. It fits with how serious we are in playing." Hyuuga agreed.

"What's the title?" Izuki asked as he dribbled the ball.

"From ONE OK ROCK, 'Re:make', I think? I just found it when I was listening in Youtube." Riko replied.

Mitobe nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Alright, I suddenly felt motivated! Let's start!" Koga shouted.

"Why do we need to start when we just started?" Izuki asked.

"What….?" The others mumbled, obviously thought that the joke was too lame that they wanted to puke.

He received a smack in the head. "SHUT UP!" Hyuuga grumbled, took the ball and the game resumed.

Koki Furuhata gasped when the ball was suddenly in his hands. Yes, it was a pass given by Kuroko.

"Shoot it!" Kagami shouted.

He blinked, ran near the hoop and shot it into the ring.

"Ok, counter-attack, seniors!" Hyuuga announced.

Izuki received the ball from Mitobe and passed it.

Unfortunately, both Kiyoshi and Hyuuga were about to get it, so instead they bumped into each other and fell on the floor.

Riko Aida sighed in frustration. "Seriously…"

"That was clearly for me!" The bespectacled captain shouted.

"No, I think it was for me."

"You blind? It was for me!"

"I'm not blind. It was heading towards me." Kiyoshi responded.

"I never knew that IRON HEART was blind." Hyuuga teased as he stood up.

Kiyoshi stood up as well. "Don't call me IRON HEART!" He complained.

"Stupid IRON HEART."

"Stop it!"

Hyuuga frowned and smirked. "IRON HEART, IRON HEART, IRON HEART, IRON HEART, IRON HEART~"

Now, that made the Seirin's founder twitch. "I said, stop it!"

"I-ron Heart, I-ron Heart!" Hyuuga continued, also pissed now.

"I'll really get mad now, even if it's you, Hyuuga!" Kiyoshi grunted.

The bespectacled raised an eyebrow. "So what, I-RON HEART?"

"Ugh, Hyuuga!"

"If you weren't in the way, this wouldn't have started, IRON HEART."

"You were the one on the way! Stop calling me that!"

"I-RON HEART!"

"Will they be alright?" Kuroko mumbled.

Izuki laughed. "I've seen this so many times before, and yes, just leave them and they'll quickly make up."

"Ummm…Mmm…" Mitobe murmured.

"Mitobe said that they would calm down after a little bit. They're just really like that." Koga explained.

Kagami sweat dropped. "I'm still wondering how you can understand him after a second, Koga-senpai."

Koga smiled proudly. "It's because of experience!"

"Uh…huh…?"

"Hey, everyone, there's no Kiyoshi Teppei in this team, he has been replaced by IRON HEART. Start calling him _IRON HEART _from now on, alright?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Ok~" The others replied.

"Hey!" Kiyoshi complained.

"If you don't shut up, you're run 100 laps around the court!" Riko shouted.

"Waaah, what a lively place." A new yet familiar voice commented from behind them.

They all turned and gasped. The members of Generation of Miracles stood behind them all. Each of them wore their own school's uniform. Kaijo's Kise Ryouta, Touo's Aomine Daiki, Yosen's Murasakibara Atsushi, Shuutoku's Midorima Shintarou and Rakuzan's Akashi Seijuro.

"What is the Generation of Miracles doing here?" Riko gasped.

"We're visiting." Aomine Daiki, the ace of both Touou and MiraGen, replied.

"Visiting?" Riko repeated and gave a teasing grin at Kagami.

The latter blushed. "WHAT?!" He demanded.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise Ryouta, the copycat of both Kaijo and MiraGen, shouted in joy and was about to hug their phantom player when Kuroko dodged it by blocking the blonde's face with the ball in his hands. "Ouch…Why did you need to use the ball of all things?"

"Because of reflex." The other responded, impassive.

Kise still continued in trying, but was stopped by no other than Akashi Seijuro – MiraGen and Rakuzan's captain—himself. He grabbed the blonde's collar at the back and pulled him backwards. "Akashicchi?"

"You already have Kasamatsu Yukio, stop messing around with Tetsuya." The small red-head warned.

Kise gulped and stayed like a scolded dog at the back.

"Eh? Kasamatsu Yukio, Kaijo's captain is going out with Kise?" Hyuuga asked, surprised.

"As I remember, yes, they are." Midorima replied.

They all blinked when a shoe hit the blonde's head. "OUCH!"

"You dumbass, so here you are! I already told you that we have a practice today!" Kasamatsu yelled as he panted.

"Speaking of the devil." Aomine mumbled.

"Shin-chan~" Takao Kazunari, one of Shuutoku's members, singsang and went by the green-head's side. "You want sweet red bean soup?" He offered one can of oshiruko to his teammate.

The green-eyed blinked then accepted it. "Let me guess, you want me to paddle later?"

The black-head grinned.

Midorima opened the can and sighed. "Thought so." He grunted and took a gulp.

"Are…you two going out?" Kise, who was clinging to his senpai, queried.

Midorima spat his drink at Aomine and blushed furiously. "NO!"

Aomine yelled a, "HEY!" but no one bothered to respond to him.

Takao only grinned wider.

"I'm going and I'll leave you behind." Kasamatsu grumbled.

Kise hugged the black-head from behind. "No, please, senpai? Please?"

Kasamatsu's eyebrow twitched upon seeing the blonde's puppy eyes and he smacked his head. "Fine!"

"Yay~"

"Here's your snacks, Atsushi." Himuro Tatsuya –Kagami's childhood friend and Yosen's member—said and handed a paperbag full of snacks to the purple-head.

Atsushi Murasakibara, MiraGen's and Yosen's powerful center, eyes' lit up and joy and he quickly hugged his partner. "Arigatou, Muro-chin!"

Himuro ruffled his companion's head and smiled.

"Yo, Tatsuya!" Kagami greeted.

"Hey."

"Let me guess, you two too?" Izuki asked as he pointed at Himuro and Murasakibara.

"Us too, in what?" Both asked in unison.

"Uh, nevermind."

Aomine approached the red-head of Seirin.

"What?" Kagami demanded.

"Oh, nothing." Aomine replied and smirked.

Kagami frowned and blushed. "I'll kill you! Stop making that smirk!"

"I just remembered what happened the other day…" Aomine mumbled and tried stifling his laughter.

"I said, shut up!"

Kuroko and Akashi just met each other's eyes and smiled, they looked like they thought the same thing and found it amusing.

Riko cleared her throat. "So, um, again, what is the Generation of Miracles doing here?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kise shouted and smiled happily. "Generation of Miracles will reunite again." He announced.

The Seirin's gymnasium was filled with silence.

"Huh? Will you please repeat that?" Riko asked.

"Generation of Miracles will reunite again." Kise answered.

"Huh? Will you please repeat that?"

"Generation of Miracles will reunite again."

"Huh? Will you please repeat that?"

"Generation of Miracles wi—"

Kasamatsu covered his mouth. "She heard you!"

Akashi sighed and stepped forward. "Since the Winter Cup just ended, the producers and sponsors of it want another, but something different. They want different members of different schools to combine altogether to form a group minimum of five and maximum of eight people to join their newest competition named: Greatest Team of all. It will be held here in Japan but the competitors will be from around the world. And I want the Generation of Miracles to reunite again to join." He explained with such fluent accent.

"S-Seriously?" Hyuuga gasped.

"Actually, I'm here to ask both Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga to come with us because we want them to register with us…although the registration will last for a week." The smaller red-head answered.

"So, that's the story! Don't worry, we'll only steal them away when needed. They won't be taken away from your team!" Kise assured.

"Uh-huh?"

Aomine grabbed Kagami by his arm. "Come on, let's go already, I want to play after the registration."

"Hey! Don't drag me!" Kagami complained.

"Er, then, see you tomorrow, Kagami, Kuroko…" Riko mumbled.

Akashi took the teal-head's hand. "Let's go, Tetsuya." He said and started walking.

But Kuroko pulled his hand away and bowed.

"Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara asked, puzzled.

"Sorry." The phantom player apologized as he bowed his head.

"Eh? Kurokocchi?" Kise responded. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I will not come with you."

"Why? Do you have something to buy? We'll accompany you." Aomine offered.

"No, that's not it."

"What is it?" Midorima asked.

Kuroko lifted his head and averted his gaze. "I decline to be part of the Generation of Miracles again."

That silenced everyone.

Akashi frowned. "What do you mean? Tetsuya, you don't need to worry, we're not in Teikou anymore, yes, I want victory but I will not lead the team into individual confidence anymore. We're a team now, I vow that to you."

"No, sorry, I really must decline."

"But everyone already agreed. I'll also agree." Kagami pointed out.

"Yes, everyone did, except me." Kuroko replied. "The new Generation of Miracles does not need someone who has such a low ability like I have." He added and took his bags. "I'm…leaving now."

"Kurokocchi—"

"I don't want to be part of MiraGen again! I…I just don't." The teal-head shouted and opened the door.

"We won't register until you agree to be part of us again! If you really do not show up even after a week, then the MiraGen won't be part of that competition as well. I'll wait for you." Akashi decided.

"But—"

The red-head frowned. "I'll wait for you; I trust you. I know you love basketball and you'll join us again."

Kuroko just went out and closed the door.

"What…happened with Kurokocchi?" Kise mumbled.

"We don't know. He has become quiet, distant and always spacing out since we won the Winter Cup. He rarely smiled, as well." Riko answered.

"He did?" Kagami asked.

Everyone just gulped. "Seriously? You didn't know?" Hyuuga demanded.

"No."

"Moron."

"Wha-?!"

"We think that something happened right after Winter Cup…and he's keeping it to himself." Izuki added.

"Kuro-chin's keeping a secret then?"

"We think."

"I'm sure Akashi knows about it—" Aomine started.

"No, I don't."

"You…don't?"

"Yes, I surprisingly don't know what it is." Akashi replied, his tone emotionless.

"_**I don't want to be part of MiraGen again! I…I just don't."**_

He frowned. "Tetsuya…"

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**A/N: Ohh, how I love dramatic stories.**

**It makes me happy to the max.**

**I hope you liked it too. **

**PLEASE DO REVIEW!**

**[Won't be able to update that often because of very very very very very slow internet connection]**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Waah! Thanks for all the reviews for this story's first chapter. Didn't even expect that this will receive any review. Thanks a lot, really!**

**REMINDER: When the text is both italic and bold, it means that those dialogues or scenes were from the past or flashbacks.**

**When the text is italicized then it means that those words were what the characters were thinking.**

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"**Something Lost Will Never Return"**

_**Chapter Two:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

Kuroko entered the gate of Seirin Academy and continued reading the book in his hands as he walked to their building.

He flipped it to another page as he finished the previous one and gasped when a hand tapped his shoulder. He hit the man with his bag in reflex.

"Ow! What the hell-!" It was his 'light', Kagami Taiga who groaned. The red-head rubbed his forehead and glared at the teal-head. "You idiot, what was that for?"

"Don't scare me like that or I'll get angry." He warned with emotionless tone.

That statement made the red-head's eyebrows twitch. "How dare you—You do that to me everytime!"

"Wow, your four eyebrows are twitching." He mumbled in awe and even ignored the red-head's complaint.

"You dumbass, I only have two eyebrows!" Kagami protested.

He tiptoed and touched the red-head's eyebrows and counted loudly as he touched each, "One, two, three, and four. You have four eyebrows, Kagami-kun." He replied, impassive.

Kuroko's reply hit a nerve and that's when Kagami started to chase after his shadow, not literally his shadow –how ridiculous would he look like when he tried chasing after his own shadow right?-, I'm talking about Kuroko. "You bastard, come back here!"

The blue-eyed ran as fast as he could to their lockers and hid inside his and ignored everyone's stare at his moving-on-its-own-locker since no one noticed him. Something that didn't surprise me, you and even the others who has read this.

He blinked when it opened and Kagami towered over him. "You i-diot. You making fun of me?!" He growled and grabbed Kuroko's head. "You're making fun of me, ain't ya?" He demanded.

Kuroko shook his head. "I'm not, I'm not, Kagami-kun." He surrendered and finally was released. He fixed his hair and complained with indifferent tone, "That hurts. You used American accent, how—"

"Amazing?"

"No, creepy." Kuroko replied.

Kagami, whose locker was beside him, stifled his laughter with how weird their conversation was and raised an eyebrow as he changed his shoes. "You actually fitted in your locker, how magnificent." He complimented.

"Should I take that as a compliment or as an insult?" He mumbled as he closed his locker after changing his shoes. "I'm not that small."

"Huh?"

"It's a rhetorical question, don't bother answering it." He pointed out.

"Oi, it's so early and you're already pissing me off." Kagami grunted.

"I am?" He asked with innocent tone.

Kagami closed his locker and picked up his bag which he placed on the floor. "I really wanna strangle you right now."

"Please don't, I'm not ready to die yet. You can strangle yourself instead, I don't mind." He responded and flipped his book to the next page. His reply would sound simple, emotionless, indifferent and impassive to Kagami, but truth be told, he meant that statement from the bottom of his heart.

"Hey, what does that last part mean?!" Kagami protested.

"It means that I don't really mind if you strangle yourself."

"Does that mean you don't mind if I die?"

Kuroko looked up at his 'light'. "Can't you strangle yourself without killing yourself as well?"

The red-head tried grabbing his 'shadow' to take avenge but the latter quickly dodged it and he ended up kissing the floor.

"Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun will get jealous if you kiss the floor often."

Kagami stood up, his face flushed in both embarrassment -because of the people's stare- and anger. "You dumbass, who do you think is at fault for me ending up kissing the floor often?!" He demanded as he tried grabbing Kuroko again.

Once again, the teal-haired dodged it. "You?" He answered in a question form.

"Ugh! Ku-ro-ko!" Kagami growled.

The phantom player closed his book and now ran to their classroom as fast as he could or else he'll die early.

_**~LFMH021~**_

"_**We finally got you. Now, you're mine."**_

_**His eyes widened. "O-Okaa-san! Otou-san! Onii-san! N-No, let me go! NO!"**_

"Kuroko-kun!"

He got back into the reality when his shoulder were shook roughly by their coach, Riko Aida, who was beside him and was staring at him with anxious eyes like she just seen his fragile side. "C-Coach?"

She sighed and frowned. "Are you sure that you're alright? You've been spacing out lately."

He nodded and pretended that he was watching his other teammates who were inside the court and practicing like there really was a game going on. "Just lack of sleep."

The brunette started scribbling at her data notebook and then nodded. "Alright then, if you say so. Would you like to come inside the game now?"

He removed the T-shirt on top of his jersey and stretched his arms. "Yes, I'd be glad if you let me join now."

"Yosh! Kuroko-kun will enter the game now! He'll be on Kagami's team!" Riko announced.

The sophomores' faces suddenly changed into terrified ones as the teal-head went inside the court and bumped fists with his current 'light' Kagami Taiga. "Uh-oh, the freshmen duo have been united. Seniors, more energy and give your best! Don't let the freshmen beat us or we'll lose our dignities as their senpais!" Hyuuga shouted with all he could.

"You're the only one who thinks that he'll lose his dignity as the senpai when he loses with his kouhai." Koga pointed out.

Kiyoshi patted their captain's shoulder and grinned ear to ear, yes, for him it's possible. "Enjoy, Hyuuga, Enjoy~"

Hyuuga glared at their club's founder. "Shut up, I-ron Heart." He snapped.

Kiyoshi flinched. "Waah! Stop calling me that!"

"You're just a bother, just sit in the bench, I-ron Heart." The bespectacled replied, indifferent.

"Hyuuga!"

"Here they go again." Izuki sighed and wiped his sweat with his own shirt.

The two were arguing about the whole 'Iron Heart' thing when two balls hit both of their heads.

"Ouch!" They complained in unison.

"Who the hell—" Hyuuga was just starting his complaint when his eyes met their coach's in rage brown ones. "R-Riko?"

Riko's eyes turned darker as she grinned wider. She lifted one ball with one of her hands and started spinning it. "You can continue your argument there if you want, but don't even bother complaining later on why you were still staying here in the gym because of the thousand push-ups, hundred laps and two-thousand shoots I will want you to make." She threatened and made the sweetest smile she could afford. "Now, will the game resume or will the argument resume?"

"Yosh, everyone, let's resume the game! Let's do our best or else we'll die very very early!" Hyuuga announced and threw the ball in the air as both Kagami and Kiyoshi jumped to get it.

"Now, that's what I was talking about." The brunette murmured in pleasure and threw the ball back with the other ones which laid beside the gymnasium's door.

"Hm, I like the way you discipline your team. You truly are a sadist, how amazing." A voice whispered in her ear.

His voice raised goosebumps on her arms and she stood up in surprise. "Kyaaaahhhh!" She screamed.

"What is it, Ri—" Kiyoshi question was cut off upon seeing who was, well more like were, standing behind their coach. "Ohh, howdy."

Yes, you guessed right, it's the Generation of Miracles.

Surprisingly, they all gathered together with no one complaining about it or with no one declining on coming to Seirin.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise exclaimed and was running towards his self-proclaimed best friend, but when he was just a meter away from the teal-haired, their captain spoke with menacing tone,

"Ryouta, come back here this instant."

So, instead of running forward, Kise's feet ran backwards if that was even possible and hid behind the tallest among them all. "Scary…" He mumbled in fear.

"You idiot, you should know that you can't approach Tetsu that close when Akashi's around, you'll die." Aomine whispered.

"D-Demo…" Kise sobbed. "He's too scary."

"I heard that, Ryouta, Daiki. You'll receive a punishment later." Akashi threatened.

"No way!" The two gasped in despair.

"We're just here to watch you practice since we already finished our own team's practices. Don't mind us and resume like we're not here at all." Akashi explained as he made a menacing smile.

The Seirin basketball members gulped before nodding at one another and resumed their practice game.

_**~LFMH021~**_

"So, that was how your team practices." Akashi murmured.

Riko stood up, proudly. "Yes, and I make the training menu myself! That's why our team is very—"

"Weak." Akashi finished.

"H-HUH?!"

"It still surprises me how we were defeated at the finals when you just train like this. Maybe it was just because of your determination and perseverance that you won the Winter Cup. From what I can see, you still lack a lot and haven't fully developed each member's individual potential." The smaller red-head heaved a sigh after stating that.

Riko flinched with how sure and confident he sounded back then. And then winced when his sentences stabbed her straight to the heart. "H-How could he be so accurate…?" She mumbled in exasperation.

"Uh, Coach, it's alright." Koga comforted. "Want a banana?" He offered suddenly.

"Banana your face!" Riko yelled and threw the banana at their mascot, Nigou, who sniffed it, intelligently removed its peel and ate it with three bites. "Where the hell did you get that anyway?" She demanded at the cat-mouthed sophomore beside her.

Koga blinked then opened his bag which was filled with bananas. "I brought many of it. Want more?"

"Eeeekkk!" This time, Riko couldn't help it and threw his bag far away from her.

"Ok, what randomness is happening with your team…?" Midorima asked in confusion as he stared at the two people arguing about bananas.

"Well, just…randomness." Kagami replied with utter loss of words how to describe what was happening infront of them.

"Nice, that explained a lot." Aomine commented sarcastically.

Kagami's eyebrows furrowed. "Well then, got a better way how to describe what's happening before you?" He challenged.

The dark blue-head blinked then hummed a, "Hm…" and then nodded and said with one hundred percent confidence, "Well, just…oddness." He imitated how the red-head said it.

He earned a smack at the head for that statement of his. "Ow!"

"Mine-chin, didn't know you're a moron." Murasakibara mumbled with pure naivety and innocence.

"What was that?!" Aomine yelled and then turned at the blonde of the Miragen. "Oi, stop laughing or I'll throw you into the trash can!"

"B-But…laughs, I can't, laugh, help, laugh, it…A-Aominecchi's, laugh, a moron…" Kise said between laughter.

Midorima sighed and pushed his eyeglasses with his left hand's middle finger. "I'm still wondering why I ended up being part of the Generation of Miracles when all my teammates are like this…"

"Don't worry, I wondered the same before, Midorima-kun." Kuroko agreed, nodding his head.

Everyone quieted down and then turned his head towards him in shock.

"How long have you been there?!" Kagami demanded.

"Since the beginning." Kuroko replied. "Just too unnoticeable." He added.

"Well, if you always shows up suddenly, you'll kill everyone with heart attack!" Aomine complained.

"No, I will kill everyone close to me because of _him._" Kuroko murmured in a voice only himself could hear.

"What was that?" The others asked right after he raised his head.

_Good thing they didn't hear me. _He thought and shook his head. "Nothing. I just told myself how idiotic we all look right now, especially you guys."

"HEY!" The other members of the Generation of Miracle protested except a certain small red-head who was staring suspiciously at their phantom player.

_**~LFMH021~**_

As various arguments continued going on inside the gymnasium—Kuroko took the opportunity and grabbed his things before opening the door and leaving everyone behind.

Just walking few meters away from the place he considered as 'home' made him sad and lonely already. He knew that time would come that he would leave this place anyway but that old discovery didn't do him any good and even made his heart clench more in sadness and emptiness.

He loved basketball than anything else and loved his former and current teammates more than anyone else, but sometimes what were the most important to you were the things you would need to let go for their own sake.

"_**Try and escape and you'll lose everything! Don't worry, it won't last that long."**_

"_**B-But…N-No…wait, let me go! NO!"**_

His hands started to tremble with the memory.

He would only kill his friends if he stayed. He would only cause trouble if he continued on walking forward.

"What if I surrender…?" He mumbled.

"Surrender what?" A very familiar voice echoed behind him.

He spun around and found his former captain and most beloved Akashi Seijuro behind him. The latter was standing firmly as he placed one hand on his hip and his eyes filled with confidence and…curiosity. "A-Akashi-kun…"

"You're hiding something, aren't you, Tetsuya?"

He kept his poker face and replied, "No, I'm not."

Akashi sighed. "You can't fool me, Tetsuya. I am Akashi Seijuro and you know what my capabilities are. I know you well to know that you're hidi—"

"You don't me, at all." Kuroko cut in.

"What was that?"

"You don't know what I've been through, what I'm facing as of the moment and what my future will be. You don't know who I really am and what my past was, Akashi-kun. You don't me at all." Kuroko mumbled and turned.

Akashi blinked and grabbed the teal-head's arm. "Tetsuya, why don't you talk it with me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kuroko's voice still remained calm and collected although he almost wanted to tell the red-head everything and cry all the emotions he has bottled up in his heart.

"Don't try fooling me, Tetsuya! You're obviously hiding something and it started right after the Winter Cup! What is it? What is it that it's manipulating you to decline being part of the MiraGen again?"

Kuroko pulled his arm away and stared down at the ground.

"_**Okaa-san!" **_

"_**Run, Tetsu…run…Run as fast as you could…Stay strong!"**_

"I'll only be a burden if I re-join it, Akashi-kun. My level is too low and couldn't even reach any of yours. I'll only bring defeat if I become part of it. You already have Kagami-kun and the others, with just the six of you, you're already unbeatable." He mumbled, still staring at the ground.

_I hate liars but I am one of them. _He thought in guilt.

"Tetsuya, you're lying. Stop lying to yourself. Turn around, face me and tell me everything." Akashi whispered, his tone filled with anxiety, and comfort.

His fists clenched and he suddenly remembered _that paper _he received two days after the Winter Cup.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go. If you'll excuse me." Kuroko bade and turned to walk away again.

"Tetsu—"

"Ne, Akashi-kun," Kuroko mumbled as he halted suddenly.

Unsure of what the teal-head would ask, he gulped and responded, "…What is it?"

The phantom player hid his face with his bangs and with cracking voice, asked, "Have you ever kept a very big secret?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then, what did you do back then to never let others know?"

"…Kept quiet about it…and pretended like I wasn't hiding anything." The former captain admitted.

"Then, I'm just doing the same right now." Kuroko grumbled. "Something lost never returns."

"It does." Akashi countered.

"Yes, some return but they are already not fully yours anymore. That also means that something lost will never return and I've lost enough." Kuroko retorted.

"Tetsuya, will you please—"

"Please, just leave me alone." Kuroko whispered in an obvious sob.

"Leave you alone and let you suffer alone? Do you think I'm a fool to let you bottle up everything on your own? No one's an island, Tetsuya!" Akashi demanded.

The teal-head started walking towards their school's gate. "I'm sorry, but I am." He spoke and Akashi's comment and heart shattered upon seeing the phantom player's remaining tears floating with the wind like they were some kind of bubble that reflected everything the latter felt.

Akashi looked at the gate but the blue-head was already gone. "Tetsuya…"

_**~LFMH021~**_

Kuroko reached home after several minutes, and the first thing he did right after arriving was sat down on the rocking chair where his mother usually sat at and touched his shoulder which still felt like it just felt the sharp pain yesterday.

"_**Your son will surely be useable to us."**_

"_**Leave him alone!"**_

"_**N-No..P-Please, let us go…N-No…wait…No, stop it, please! N-no…."**_

He held his head right after the memories pained it. He let the pain subdue before taking a deep breath. "Okaa-san… Onii-sama…"

He gasped when he was suddenly lifted off the ground and he was suddenly collared by Haruhiko Keiji, his oldest male cousin's, hand. "N-Nii-san…" He murmured with his still polite tone.

Haruhiko narrowed his eyes and dragged the blue-head upstairs and then threw him on the bed. "It's time."

"But, it's still early…"

"Strip or I'll call _him_." Haruhiko threatened as his eyes darkened.

Kuroko gulped with the threatened and slowly unbuttoned his shirt's buttons and stared at the ground as he felt disgusted with himself.

Tears poured down on his cheeks as Haruhiko's lips trailed kisses from his chin to his neck.

This is _**just ONE of the OTHER SECRETS **_Kuroko was hiding: His cousin Haruhiko Keiji uses him every night for pleasure and he couldn't decline for a reason you still mustn't know.

* * *

**A/N: Like I said, that's just one of them and it's not even the main one. **

**I made a lot of mistakes, didn't I?**

**I beg your pardon about them!**

**Thanks a lot for all the reviews I received at the first chapter!**

**I hope that you liked it although I know it wasn't as interesting as you thought, was it?**

**PLEASE DO REVIEW, REVIEW,REVIEW! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoress' Note: Been awhile, ne? Thanks for all the reviews you've given me for the previous chapter! Really appreciated them!**

**By the way, one of my KNB fanfics entitled 'Everlasting Requiem' is nearing its end, are you a reader of it too? I hope you liked it. For those who aren't, I hope you'll try it, it's not really that great but not bad either…well, for my opinion though.**

**Anyway, here's the third chapter!**

* * *

_**Chapter Three:**_

Kuroko turned a page of his book to its next one and held his hair in place as the wind blew strongly. Some joints in his body still hurt after how Haruhiko Keiji, his older cousin, ambushed and used him for pleasure last night.

He gulped and clenched one of his hands into a tight fist and bit his lip. Everything started few weeks ago, if that event didn't happen, then maybe…maybe…maybe…

His heart jumped in surprise when a hand tapped his shoulder. He instantly stepped backwards and shielded his face with his arms in reflex. "No!"

"…Kuroko?" was the attacker's reply.

He blinked and re-opened his shut eyes and then withdrew his hands on his sides upon seeing who startled him. "Kagami-kun…"

The red-head blinked. "Sorry about that; didn't think you'll get startled. Looks like I caught you off guard."

He narrowed his eyes and picked up the book he dropped on the ground. "Don't mention it; I'll repay you later when you're off guard." He assured and opened the book on the page where he stopped.

"O-Oi! Not funny!" Kagami gasped.

Kuroko started walking inside the gates of their school and gave his 'light' a backward glance. "I wonder where Nigou is…Do you want to meet him, Kagami-kun?" He asked with straight face.

The red-head's face paled. "No, I don't! I fucking don't! Don't you even try doing what bad ideas you're thinking, Kuroko or I'll freaking kill you!" He growled and ran like a scared cat inside the building in case Kuroko already thought of something to counter him.

Kuroko stared at his disappearing 'light''s back as the latter ran away from him. He couldn't help cracking a smile at how adorable their ace could be. _No wonder Aomine-kun likes him so much._

"…_**What ridiculous things are you spouting? Remember this, you're mine and mine alone."**_

"_**Don't even….AH! S-Stop…it…Ha…Ha…N-No more!"**_

Kuroko froze on where he stood upon recalling some dialogues that monster had whispered on his ear.

He closed the book he was reading and silently and slowly walked towards their room's building. Just like any other day, no one really noticed his presence; just like any other day no one really noticed him; just like any other day no one understood him; and like just any other day he was alone again as he faced the world.

He halted in surprise when the phone in his pocket started vibrating.

He took it out and read the message as he walked towards their classroom.

**To: Kuroko Tetsuya**

**From: Akashi Seijuro**

**Subject: Do you want to hang out with us later?**

**Message: Do you have time later? It's unlike me to ask politely, but I don't want to force you especially that you seem to dislike being with us, the former Generation of Miracles, again. I decided that time has passed and I actually kinda missed the times we hanged out, so do you want to meet with us infront of your school's gate in case you want to come along? We'll just roam around and chat a bit or maybe eat the things we usually did before. Reply your answer as soon as possible or I'll attack you at your school just to know your answer. You know that I meant that and might use scissors as well.**

Knowing his former captain so much, Kuroko was quite sure that the last sentence –the threat—was true and that the red-head wouldn't hesitate attacking him.

It was true. It was very unlike of Akashi Seijuro to ask such a thing…such a thing like hanging out.

_Has he changed…? Did he change?_

Kuroko stared at the text message and smiled. "Of course, Akashi-kun. Of course."

He clicked reply and started typing his reply.

**To: Akashi Seijuro**

**From: Kuroko Tetsuya**

**Subj: Count me in.**

**Message: I don't hate you guys, I never did. And I wasn't forced this time around. I will come along with you later. It sounds kind of fun. Thank you for being considerate enough to ask me although I'm being so selfish these last few days. See you.**

He closed his phone and ran towards his classroom.

He has encountered enough. He has lost enough. He has experienced enough.

_But is it wrong to feel happy?_

He was wrong after all. Someone still understood him—his name was Akashi Seijuro, the man Kuroko loved since he was in Teikou Middle School.

_But, it's my little secret. _He thought and opened the door of their room before entering.

Kagami didn't look up and it seemed to the teal-head that it was because the former didn't even notice him to begin with. He mentally grinned and sat behind the red-head then leaned forward and leaned his lips closer to his light's ear before murmuring, "Woof."

Kagami screamed and fell on his chair. His face was as pale as Kuroko's complexion and his eyes as wide as the moon, it's just…his eyes are red…You could almost see goosebumps on his arms as well.

Kuroko hid his laughter by covering his mouth with a hand of his and even gentlemanly asked the red-head, "Are you alright, Kagami-kun?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya, you bastard!" Kagami growled.

Kuroko just smiled in amusement. Kagami stood up and was about to chase after him when he suddenly stood up as well and hid behind a classmate of theirs who didn't even notice him. "Oi, Kuroko, where did you go? You bastard, come back here!" Kagami shouted although his shadow was just behind the person beside him.

I don't know if I should pity him or laugh.

_**~LFMH021~**_

_**He turned to a corner and tripped over a rock because he wasn't watching where he was running to. **_

"_**Get him! Get him no matter what!" He heard that voice growl.**_

_**He gasped and tried running faster. **_

"_**There he is!" One shouted as he spotted him.**_

_**Kuroko gasped and yelped as he got into a dead end.**_

"_**DON'T LET THEM CAPTURE YOU, TETSUYA!" His Oniichan cried.**_

"_**N-No, let me go! Ah! N-Nggg….Y-You—"**_

He got back into reality when a pair of hands shook his shoulder roughly. He blinked and looked up and was surprised upon seeing all of his teammates before him with worried expressions. "Um…what?"

Hyuuga sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Coach was calling you for twenty times now –not that I'm counting- now, so you and Kagami can finally enter the game, but you're unresponsive. Some of us tried as well, but you weren't replying." He explained. "Is something the matter?"

He shook his head and removed the T-shirt on top of his jersey before stretching his arms. "I was watching a program last night and slept late, so I was kinda sleeping while my eyes are open."

"You juniors should sleep early and get up early as well!" Hyuuga lectured. "Sleeping late is not—"

"Alright, let's resume the game and leave Hyuuga out!" Riko announced. "He'll just lap around the court for fifty times and then make a hundred push-ups. Deal?"

"Ok!" The others replied instantly.

Hyuuga's face paled. "Hey, how could you? And you call yourselves my teammates?"

"Nope, we never said that _you _are our teammate." Izuki replied with a grin.

"Yep." Koganei agreed.

Mitobe just stared at him.

"Not you too, Mitobe!" Hyuuga protested.

Kiyoshi suddenly hugged him from behind. "Don't worry, I'm here. I'll never leave you behind."

He pushed Kiyoshi's face away as much as he could before mumbling, "No thanks. I rather prefer being alone instead of being with you."

"Aw! That's harsh!" The other whined as he tried tightening his hug around the bespectacled captain.

"UGH! Let me go!"

Riko kicked the lovebirds as strongly as she could and whistled. "Ok! No one's going home until I'm satisfied with your training!"

"Anou…don't say you felt challenged with Akashi Seijuro's insults the other day, coach?" Koki, one of the freshmen triplets, mumbled.

Everyone turned into stone when her eyes started to animatedly flame up and her smile animatedly reached both of her ears in a wide –and I mean that—grin. "Oh, not really. I just want to show him that we could compete against their training menu."

"She wouldn't let anyone beat her—not even in training menus…" Hyuuga sighed. "Let's do this before anyone dies!"

"Yosh! Let's not die yet!"

_**~LFMH021~**_

Just right after their training, Kuroko looked at his watch and realized that it was almost time.

He went out of the locker room as he excused himself and then realized that he was missing something. He gasped and looked at his wrists. He gulped and mentally panicked. His wrists bands were missing.

"What's up, Kuroko?" Izuki asked, coming right behind him.

He stiffened and quickly hid his wrists inside his uniform's pockets. "Izuki-senpai, have you seen my wristbands?"

"Oh, the black ones? The ones you're always wearing?" The Eagle-Eye owner clarified as he looked under the benches.

He nodded sheepishly and looked around. "Yes."

"They're not inside the locker room because I just came from there and they're not under these benches. Maybe someone took them when you removed them earlier." Izuki mumbled.

Kuroko's eyes widened with the opinion and then bit his lip.

"Why don't you just buy new ones?" Hyuuga, who heard the whole thing, suggested.

He shook his head. "I-I can't."

"_**N-No…Ha…Ha…Nnggg…N-No more…Ah…"**_

"_**You're actually quite good. Now tell us where those are."**_

"_**N-NO!"**_

"_**Oh?"**_

"_**Yaahh….Ah…ahhh…n-no- more…ah…"**_

"Maybe those have their sentimental values?" Kiyoshi asked as he looked under the bags piled up on top of the bench.

"Let us help then!" The others offered and started to scatter around the gym and even looked under everything.

He gulped and looked around. _Don't say those people already knew about my wristbands…_

He heard a bark and he turned to look at the dog behind him. His heart jumped upon seeing his two wristbands between the dog's lips. Nigou whimpered and started to jump around.

Kuroko sighed in relief and took them before putting them on, making sure that his secret wouldn't be revealed. He squatted and petted the dog which has the same eyes as him. "You know about my secrets, don't you?" He whispered.

The dog barked and snuggled closed to the teal-head's chest, showing him his support and comfort.

Kuroko lifted the dog his team adopted and hugged it tight before smiling in happiness. "Thank you, Nigou."

"Hey, Kuro—" Kagami's sentence was cut off after he turned and found the adorable scene few meters away from him.

"What's the matter, Kaga—" Even Hyuuga froze upon turning his head towards where their ace was looking at. He gulped and covered his nose.

The others glanced at one another and looked for Kuroko. They all saw him before the gym's door, hugging their team's mascot and petting the little thing with an innocent smile on his face. They all took out their handkerchieves and blocked their noses' holes, so no blood with spill on the floor. They'll surely clean it afterwards.

Someone cleared his throat which caught everyone's attention. They all turned their heads towards where they heard the voice and saw Akashi leaning against the door frame, his eyes boring holes on the Seirin's members. "Just came here to pick Tetsuya up."

Kuroko approached the red-head and smiled slightly in greeting. "Good afternoon, Akashi-kun."

"Good afternoon to you too, Tetsuya." The other greeted with a gentle smile then patted Kuroko's hair and petted the dog in the latter's arm.

The scene of two adorable freshmen with such innocent faces and smiles made the other Seirin members faint on the ground. "T-Too cute…" They complained. "They're too cute, I'm gonna die…"

_**~LFMH021~**_

"Kurokocchi!" Kise exclaimed and was about to lung him against the teal-head if not only Akashi glared at him with heterochromatic eyes. The blonde froze and hid behind a certain green-head who was holding a big pink bunny stuffed toy. "Scary…"

"Yo, Tetsu!" Aomine greeted with his usual grin which both melted and scared any girl he passed on to.

"Kuro-chin, long time no see…" Murasakibara said with a bored tone and patted the shortest among them's head. "You're still small."

"We just saw each other yesterday." Kuroko frowned with the insult. "I'm not small, you're just tall, Murasakibara-kun." He countered and blinked before bowing. "It has been awhile, Murasakibara-kun, Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun, and Akashi-kun."

"Waah! How harsh! Why didn't you greet me?" Kise complained and pretended to be crying.

"Let's go and leave Ryouta behind." Akashi commanded. He took the teal-eyed's hand and they lead the way towards their usual hang out.

"Waah! Wait for me!" Kise whined and kept the same pace as Aomine. "Ne, Aominecchi, is Momoicchi still making you lunch?"

Just the thought of it made the blue-head puke on the side of the road.

"Gaaah! Aominecchi! Everyone! Everyone! Aominecchi's throwing up!" Kise panicked.

"So, that stuffed toy is your lucky item for today, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko asked as he pointed at the pink bunny stuffed toy between the green-head's arms.

The latter nodded. "My zodiac sign is the second luckiest for today, so to get even luckier, I bought the biggest bunny stuffed toy." He explained and unconsciously hugged it.

"H-Hey! Minna-san!" Kise cried as the other four started leaving them behind. He sighed and turned where the blue-head was. "Aomi—" He gasped upon realizing that he was talking to no one.

"Tetsu, what's up with that?" Aomine, who suddenly appeared beside the phantom player, asked as he pointed at Nigou who was snuggling against his master's chest.

"His name is Nigou in short for Tetsuya Number Two. We found him outside a restaurant and adopted him as our team's mascot. They said that he possesses the same eyes as I do. He's a very active and friendly dog."

Aomine hummed a , "Hm" and petted the dog who wore Seirin's jersey number 16.

The latter whimpered and barked in joy.

"He likes you too, Aomine-kun."

Kise looked at the empty spot beside him then at the blue-head beside a certain teal-head for almost five times before running towards his former teammates. "That's mean! Why did you do that?"

"I think I heard something, but I'm sure it's nothing." Akashi muttered.

"Waah! Are you talking about me?" Kise whined behind the five.

Murasakibara sucked his big lollipop and nodded. "I think I heard an annoying whine just now, Akachin. Do you think I'm hallucinating?"

Akashi smiled and patted the violet-head's shoulder. "It's good to know that you are one of us now, Atsushi."

"You five are so harsh!" Kise shouted which caught the passerby's attention. He froze and then gasped when a lot of girls recognized him and attacked him.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Midorima asked, ignoring a blonde's calls.

"I want to eat a popsicle right now." Kuroko replied, petting the dog in his arms.

"Let me go!" They heard a boy shout from an alley just few meters from them. They exchanged looks and quickly went to where they heard was. "No! Thses are for my siblings! No!" A middle school boy shouted as he shielded a paperbag of food from five gangster-likes teenagers.

"Just give them to us already or we'll beat you up. We don't care if they're for your siblings! We're hungry!" The five growled.

"Oh my, so bullies like you still exist." Akashi mumbled in disgust. "How ridiculous. Bullying a middle school for your own laziness and boredom."

The five turned and glared at the Generation of Miracles. "And who do you think you are? Wanna fight with us?"

Aomine grinned as one of the five approached them. He kicked the other's stomach and then kicked harder which sent the latter flying towards the garbage can.

"You bastards! You'll pay for that!" Another shouted and lunged towards Murasakibara. In the process, he bumped into the violet-head's chest and the latter's lollipop fell on the ground.

"My lollipop…" Murasakibara mumbled, glared at the other and grabbed the latter's head before throwing him at the roadside effortlessly. "Now, my lollipop's gone…" He mumbled in disappointment.

Midorima took a look around them, blinked, and then picked up an empty bottle. He sighed and then raised his arms before throwing the empty bottle. It landed on one of the three remaining bullies' head which knocked him out.

One of the two caught sight of Kuroko. "Oh? A kid is with you? Didn't notice you at all, kid. Let's have some fun!" He grinned and then ran towards the phantom player.

"Tetsu!" Aomine yelled as Kuroko froze on where he stood and just stared wide-eyed at the one running towards him.

He was just an inch away from him when he suddenly heard the other grunt then groan.

He opened his shut eyes and saw Kise before him with a wide smile on his face. "Just got here on time!" He celebrated and clapped for himself.

"Ugh! You! You started this, so I'm going for you!" One of the two growled and was about o grab Akashi's uniform when the latter dodged it and glared at the other.

"No one could touch me except for those who I allowed to do so. I punish anyone who tries to hurt the ones close to me and you're one of them." Akashi threatened, grabbed the remaining one's hair and kicked his _that _before the red-head took out a pair of scissors and cut the man's hair as the latter just laid there unconscious.

"You can go now, boy." Kise encouraged on the middle school boy and smiled gently. "I'm sure these idiots won't bother you anymore."

The boy blinked and then smiled widely before bowing. "T-Thank you very much! Someday! Someday, I'll return this favor! I promise!" He shouted and ran out of the alley.

"He looks like a kind kid." Kise mumbled as they went out of the alley like nothing had ever happened. "Right, Kurokocchi? What can you say?" He asked then turned towards their phantom player with a smile. "What can you say about that kid e—" He swallowed the remains of his sentence as he faced a trembling to the bone Tetsuya Kuroko.

Akashi narrowed his eyes in confusion and then slowly approached their phantom player. "Tetsuya."

The said boy didn't reply and shut his eyes. He hugged Nigou tightly against his chest and bit his lip. "No…No…No…"

The red-head slowly reached for the blue-head and then placed his hand on the latter's shoulder.

His eyes widened when Kuroko slapped it away and took a step backwards. "NO!" The blue-head yelled with cracked voice and averted his gaze.

"_**Please…I beg you…No more…" **_

"_**No way. I'm just starting to enjoy this."**_

"_**Nggghhh…Ah! N-no! No!"**_

Kuroko trembled more upon the memory and took another step backwards.

Akashi took a deep breath and faced Kuroko with sober expression and eyes. "Tell us what's wrong, Tetsuya."

"Nothing's wrong."

"There is and quit lying." Akashi hissed in unnoticeable annoyance.

The passerby's didn't even care what was happening and pretended like they were seeing nothing. Some just glanced but then shrugged and looked away.

The other four who were just in the background stood quietly and still beside or behind the arguing two with no obvious intention of interrupting for they still wanted to continue living.

"Whatever you do, I'm not going to join MiraGen anymore. I don't want to cause any more burden to any of you."

"No one ever said that you were a burden, Tetsuya." Akashi snapped.

The teal-head covered his eyes with his bangs and mumbled as indifferent as he could, "So even you, Akashi-kun, do not understand me."

All –except for Akashi—of them gasped when Akashi's fist made contact with Kuroko's cheek in a hard punch which made the latter fall on the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, that was such a ridiculous chapter. It was lame and boring, wasn't it? Sorry ran out of ideas. I still do not want to reveal any of Kurokocchi's secrets yet. What's the point of the whole story if I don't put suspense on it, right? **

**Hope you likes it though.**

**I think I made mistakes again. Urgh.**

**Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapters!**

**Oh, um, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**[Nah, won't give any sneak peek for this story. My mind explodes when I put sneak peeks. It's hard to think how to connect it with the story. Nope, I'm not angry, just explaining. Thanks!]**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authoress' Note: Hisashiburi nya! Ok, I'm not a cat, I just find that kind of greeting adorable so I decided to try it.**

**How have you guys been? Me? I'll be quite busy from now on because starting on June 10 I'll be graduating student! Um, in High school. I'm just fifteen years old. NO! I'm not old yet! XD**

**By the way, maybe, I repeat—maybe, starting on June 21 I won't be able to update most of my fanfics because I will be very very busy. The next update might be until a month later. I hope you'll understand.**

**Thanks for the understanding! **

**Thanks for all the reviews for Chapter 3! **

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Kuroko no Basuke!**

* * *

_**Chapter Four:**_

All –except for Akashi—of them gasped when Akashi's fist made contact with Kuroko's cheek in a hard punch which made the latter fall on the ground.

Everyone froze; even the passerby's, when Akashi did the unthinkable and shocking act which astounded the members of Generation of Miracles. Their captain wasn't the type to punch someone, he's the type who throws scissors or threatens to kill you with scissors when you answer him back. Punching was never his thing; well maybe, he's not just good at it for his height. [A/N: Akashi-kun, don't kill me!]

"A-Akashicchi…" Kise mumbled with shaky voice as he hid behind their miracle shooter.

Akashi rubbed the fist he used to punch the teal-head and then opened it before closing it again. He looked at the phantom player who was sitting on the ground, silently and unresponsive. "Hey, Tetsuya."

Kuroko blinked then looked up. "Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"You overreacted." Akashi mumbled in annoyance.

The teal-head looked up and rubbed his punched cheek. "It actually hurt."

"It did?" Gasped Akashi with great surprise.

Kuroko nodded with emotionless eyes. "Yes, it's like a ten-year old kid punched me." He replied with indifferent tone.

Akashi's eyebrow unnoticeably twitched before offering an extended arm on the boy sitting on the ground. "Be grateful that I didn't cut you to death instead."

Kuroko accepted it and then stood up. "Just accept it, Akashi-kun. You punch like a kid but cut like a maniac."

The red-head frowned with the insult and messed the phantom player's hair. "Don't talk like you can punch harder than I can. You punch like a baby."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Kuroko pouted a little and then picked up his bags which fell on the ground when he was suddenly punched by the red-head before him. "No, I don't." He mumbled in stubbornness.

The other four beside them gaped at them before clearing their throats. "HEY! Wait a damn minute!" Aomine growled in irritation.

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Daiki? Me and Tetsuya are still having a conversation, can't you see? Didn't your parents teach you not to barge in into others' conversation and wait for them to end?"

Aomine grinned humorlessly. "And how long did I need to wait if ever I waited?"

"About an hour or so." Kuroko replied with indifferent voice before taking out a lollipop inside his bag. "Want some, Murasakibara-kun?" He offered as he lifted the still-sealed lollipop just an inch below the violet-head's bottom lip.

The latter happily accepted it, opened it then savored it. "Arigatou, Kuro-chin."

"One hour?! As if we could wait that long!" Aomine complained then scratched the back of his head in annoyance. "Urgh."

"Is you hair itchy, Aominecchi? You didn't take a bath, did you? EW!" Kise teased and earned a big bump on his head afterwards. He decided to shut his mouth just in case he'll die soon enough if he didn't.

"You punched Kuroko." Midorima stated as he gazed at their captain.

The six of them started to walk towards their usual convenience store hang-out like nothing happened and the other people on the street stared at them as if they were some ghosts or heroes who appeared then suddenly vanished.

"Yes, I did." Akashi agreed.

"It hurt." Midorima, again, stated.

"Yes, but just a little." Kuroko replied infront of him.

"So, what's the whole point of punching him? For fun?" Midorima mumbled in obvious frustration and distress.

"No, his body reacted violently when one of the bullies tried attacking him. His mind kinda jumbled up and his body reacted on its own—making Tetsuya act like he did earlier. Although we all know he's hiding something, he was just so out of character earlier. I thought it would be fun if I tried punching him instead of using scissors." Akashi explained like it was not a big issue.

Midorima sighed in disbelief. "You are so unbelievable."

"You scared us there, idiots!" Aomine grunted.

"Did you just call me idiot, Daiki?" Akashi muttered under his breath as he casted a sideways glare at a friend dough cake behind him.

The latter gulped and then shook his head. "NO! NO, I DIDN'T! FOR THE LOVE FOR MYSELF, DON'T KILL ME!"

Akashi smirked and turned his attention back infront of him. "I won't, don't worry."

"He'll just kill you when you two are alone together." Kuroko rephrased with emotionless tone which sent more shivers down on Aomine's spine.

The latter gulped and turned a little to the blonde. "Oi, Kise."

"Yes, Aominecchi?"

Kise squealed in surprise when Aomine suddenly grabbed his collar and threatened him, "If you ever let me and Akashi be alone together, I'll kill you afterwards by chopping you into very very very small pieces. Got that?"

The copycat prayed to continue living and nodded many times. "Yes, yes, yes, I understand! I understand!"

_**~LFMH021~**_

"_**He's actually a good partner." One sniggered.**_

_**He squirmed. "Mmm…Nnnnggg…"**_

"_**Look, look, he's trying to escape." The other laughed.**_

_**His eyes widened. "N-Nggg….Mmmm!"**_

_No more!_

His eyes widened a fraction when he felt Akashi's breath tickle his left ear. He quickly turned towards his former captain and saw him occupied with a book he chose.

The red-head blinked then looked at him. "What is it, Tetsuya?"

He quickly averted his gaze back at the page he stopped at. "It's nothing."

"It didn't look like it was nothing to me. Do you have anything you want to say?"

He clenched his fists and little and pretended like he didn't hear Akashi; he looked around and found his other friends walking around and chatting silently around the public library.

"_**After leaving them like that—do you still think you deserve to be loved?" One demanded.**_

_**He looked at the ground in guilt. **_

_**The other smirked. "No one will care if you die."**_

He touched one of his wristbands and stared at it.

"Practice's over, why don't you remove those wristbands yet?" His seatmate, Akashi, asked in curiosity.

He gulped and shook his head. "It's a habit. I won't be complete without them around my wrists." He lied.

"Oh? Then why was it that back at Teikou—you used to remove those after practice or after games?" The other accused.

He jumbled his mind for another alibi. "This mannerism of mine started when I just joined Seirin."

Akashi smirked a little before closing his book with force. "You're a rotten liar, Kuroko."

He froze at his sat with the accusation.

"Do you think I'll believe those lies of yours when your voice was shaking and you couldn't even look at me?" Akashi challenged and propped an elbow on top of the table and then placed his chin on the palm of his hand before narrowing his eyes at the teal-head.

Kuroko closed the book he was reading as well and sighed. "What's the real reason behind you calling us to suddenly have a get-together?"

"I wonder." Akashi mumbled, obviously lying.

Kuroko casted a sideways glance at the red-head. "I'm not going to re-join the Generation of Miracles." He proclaimed and stood up.

"That's not the reason." Akashi insisted as he grabbed the retreating Kuroko's arm. "I want to talk to you privately."

"I'm not hiding anything, Akashi-kun." He defended in reflex.

"You are." Akashi protested quickly.

Kuroko frowned, which he rarely does, and turned towards the red-head. His eyes widened a fraction upon seeing the determination and guilt at Akashi's eyes. "Yes, I am, but it has nothing to do with you, Akashi-kun."

"It has everything to do with me."

Kuroko pulled his arm away and sighed, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Why don't you trust me?"

"Because you didn't trust me before." Kuroko replied immediately and the other members of the Generation of Miracles have gathered around their table as well, as if they're called.

Akashi frowned. "I always trusted you, Tetsuya."

"Not at my first game as a regular, not at the games when all of you have already nurtured your skills. You turned your backs at me." He protested with low voice.

"That's—" Kise started.

"When we first me, Kise-kun, you thought I was a weakling. I saw in your eyes how you thought that it was o ridiculous for me to be able to join the regulars. I didn't speak, but that hurt, Kise-kun."

Kise gaped and then averted his gaze to the ground.

Midorima sighed and adjusted his glasses. "What ridiculousness are you—"

"You started to untrust me, Midorima-kun when I missed some passes just because Aomine-kun started to play on his own. You didn't even want me to receive the ball."

Midorima stiffened.

"Kuro-chin—"

"We used to argue about basketball a lot, Murasakibara-kun. I know all of you changed, but do you still remember back then that you never paid any attention to me just because I looked weak and not worthwhile to play with?"

Murasakibara blinked. "Well…"

"Oi, Tetsu, what the hell—"

"And I will never forget how rejected I felt when you ignored me back then at our game, Aomine-kun. When I raised a fist to bump with yours, to continue being your shadow, but you turned your back at all of us and thought that just being able to play as effortless as you could was enough."

Aomine sweatdropped and looked at another thing but the teal-head.

Akashi frowned a little.

"When I tripped back then at my first game, you almost wanted to eliminate me, Akashi-kun. I saw in your eyes the disappointment—disappointment about me being that weak and useless back then although it was you who nurtured my potentials."

Akashi just held his gaze.

"Being useless, worthless, and to be the weakest. That's the reason why I quit the club just right before the championship game. It was not just because of Teikou's policies, but also because of the feeling of rejection I felt back then." He explained and took his bag.

No one but the six of them were inside the library as of the moment, it was already kind of late that's why no one was left inside anymore, and another thing it was a weekday and some were still at work or at school.

He took a deep breath, then bowed politely. "If you'll excuse me."

"Tetsu!" He heard Aomine call after him.

"Don't, Daiki. Let him have some space." Akashi commanded.

_And just right when I thought he, himself, will come after me. _Kuroko thought as he stepped out of the home of books they entered right after they visited the store they used to go at when they're still middle-schoolers.

He rubbed his hands together as the snow started falling again after few weeks. "C-Cold." He whispered to himself as he walked towards the direction of his cousin's house. After several minutes, he'll become his cousin's slave again.

He breathed out between his palms and then rubbed them together again.

His eyes widened when warm drops of tears fell down on his hands. No one really noticed his presence, as usual, and no one really cared what he was doing as of the moment.

Crying was never his thing, he rarely does it. He only cried _back then _and right now. He didn't really understand why he was crying. He didn't really know why he felt like his heart shattered into fragments when Akashi didn't go after him.

He sobbed silently as he covered his face with his hands.

"_**No one cares about you anymore."**_

"_**Nnggg…Yaah…Mnnnn! Ah!"**_

More tears poured on his cheeks as those events haunted his mind again.

He was in progress of sniffing when he suddenly felt dizzy. Then it hit him.

He actually forgot about one of his other secrets.

_**~LFMH021~**_

Akashi ordered the other four to stay inside the Magi Burger for the meantime as he looked for their phantom player.

_I was so stupid to let him leave._

And yes, he just admitted that to himself.

He felt guilty upon remembering that Kuroko's birthday will be the day after tomorrow. So, to cover his sin against himself, he quickly ran out of the library after giving instructions to the others and called out for the teal-head.

"Tetsuya!" He shouted with just mild voice.

He looked around. "Tetsuya!"

He narrowed his eyes as he encountered a large group of people crowding something or someone. He gulped, praying that what he had assumed wasn't true, and slowly went to the front by riding the flow of people. He gritted his teeth as he saw who was lying unconscious and pale on the white blanket of snow on the ground. "Tetsuya." He mumbled as he lifted the blue-eyed's head. "Tetsuya, wake up. Tetsuya, I'm ordering you to wake up." He mumbled and clenched his fists.

_Damn it!_

_**~LFMH021~**_

**_JUST FEW MINUTES AGO…_**

Kuroko held his head as he continued to feel dizzy.

He narrowed his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings.

Then it hit him like a bullet. Just because he felt relaxed since few days ago, he has forgotten about another important secret of his.

"I forgot. How idiotic am I to forget…that I have leukemia?" He murmured and chuckled humorlessly. Then all he saw was darkness as he fell unconscious on the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! There was no internet connection these last few days!**

**I hope you liked this one as well!**

**No, we're not near the end yet, don't worry!**

**PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: WAAAAAHHHHH! I'm very very very sorry for the late update, guys! It's just that we have a lot of school works and a lot of projects, so I couldn't update as fast as I want to! Please I beg your pardon!**

**I'll try to repay my sin towards you by making this chapter as great as I could. **

**Yes, Kuroko has leukemia, if you're asking why, then please just continue reading.**

**When it's both italicized and bold then it's a flashback. **

**If it's just italicized then it's the character's thoughts.**

**Regular is…regular. [A/N: Wow. Nice. Great description…]**

**PLEASE STILL REVIEW!**

**Suggestion: Listen to 'You found me' by 'The Fray' so you'll feel this chapter more especially on the ending.**

* * *

_**Chapter Five:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

_**A week after the Winter Cup, Kuroko suddenly felt like he was always weak and out of energy although the day has just started. He usually had headaches and felt dizzy to the point he could not stand up. **_

_**Of course, his parents, although they were busy, requested their youngest son to consult the doctor and have a checkup.**_

_**After waiting several hours for the result inside the ward, Kuroko's main doctor, Doctor Sawahara, arrived inside the ward and told him news he never expected.**_

"_**Kuroko Tetsuya has leukemia." He stated with sober tone.**_

_**Kuroko Tomiko gasped and covered her mouth. "W-Wait, how so? Neither of me and my husband has leukemia. Taiki doesn't have that illness as well. Are you sure that Tetsu has leukemia? How? Why?" She panicked as she squeezed Kuroko's pale and quite bony hand.**_

"_**It seems that from the reports and diagnoses we've taken and from the histories from both of your sides, Mrs. Kuroko's sister and father died with this disease years ago. It has not been passed on to you, but unfortunately, it was passed onto Tetsuya-kun. In short, it's hereditary." Doctor Sawahara muttered as he re-read the files in his hands."It's verified. Kuroko Tetsuya has stage two leukemia."**_

_**Kuroko sympathetically watched as his mother cried into her husband's chest in pain. **_

_**Kuroko Akira, our phantom player's father, bit his bottom lip and lightly rubbed his wife's back as comfort. "Is there a way for him to be cured?"**_

_**Doctor Sawahara nodded with a smile and handed them files. "That's an explanation of what surgeries he could partake, how much each will cost and how safe they are. Please do have some time to read them."**_

_**Taiki bent a little and caressed his younger's brother's cheek. "Don't cry, Tetsu." He whispered and hugged the blue-head tightly. "You can overcome this obstacle. You will survive and will be cured. I know that it'll happen. You can do it, don't be afraid." **_

_**He clenched his brother's shirt and silently wept on it. "I'm scared…Does my life have it's limit already…?"**_

_**Tomiko, Akira and Taiki all looked at Sawahara and the latter gasped then looked at the ground. **_

"_**N-No way…"**_

Kuroko woke up in a jolt and rapidly sat up in surprise. Although you wouldn't distinguish it through his facial expression, his heart raced like t will stop any minute and he's mentally panicking in a corner of his mind.

He fingerbrushed his messed up hair and then sighed. "Why had I dreamt of that…?" He murmured and covered his face with his hands. "Where am I, anyway?" He muttered to himself and inspected the room where he was at. The curtains are all cream white. The bed is white, the bedsheet is white, and the blanket is also white. Everything is white, in short. "Is this heaven?"

"Are there bed, bedsheets and blankets in heaven? As I remember angels sleep on the clouds." A voice sarcastically replied to him.

He lifted his eyes and met one golden and other crimson eyes. "So you consider me as an angel, Akashi-kun?" The teal-head bluntly responded.

Akashi closed the door behind him and sat on the wooden chair designated for the patient's visitor which was beside the phantom player's bed. "Perhaps an angel who became exhausted for flying too much that it collapsed to the snow-covered ground of the 3rd street which made me so worried to the point that I panicked." He stated and took an apple from the basket of fruits on the teal-head's bedside table and started peeling its' skin off.

Kuroko blinked like he heard something that he couldn't believe. "You panicked?" He echoed.

Akashi narrowed his eyes with the other's tone. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

Kuroko touched his head as he suddenly felt dizzy. "I…Well, I just couldn't imagine it." He admitted and closed his eyes in obvious pain.

Akashi placed the two slices of apple on top of a small plate. "Tetsuya, are you alright?" He murmured as Kuroko began to groan in pain as he held his head.

"I…I'm fine…" The blue-head lied. "I…I'm really alright…" He whispered between gasps.

Akashi cupped the phantom player's cheeks and lifted the latter's face up and glared at him. "Tetsuya Kuroko." He growled.

"A-Akashi-kun…?" gasped Kuroko in surprise.

"I've waited long enough. I don't care if we can't participate in the Best Team Cup. I don't care if we can't reunite again. I don't care if we can't bring the past back again. All I want right now are the things you're keeping to yourself. You've been sleeping on that bed for a day and tomorrow's your sixteenth birthday, but from how you look—I've verified that you forgot about it." Akashi murmured as he gazed at the other's innocent blue eyes.

Kuroko blinked then blinked again before replying, "Tomorrow's my birthday…?" He whispered.

"See? You—you, of all people, forgot your own birthday. You never forget others' birthday nor do you forget yours."

"…I…"

"When we were in middle school, you never failed to give me presents when it's my birthday. You never failed to give the others their present on their birthdays as well. You're a very friendly person, although it's not obvious for others to quickly see. Tetsuya, can't you place your trust between my palms even just for this moment?" Akashi whispered in concern.

Kuroko's heart started to ache as he saw the pity and sympathy in the crimson-head's eyes and he bowed his head to cover his eyes with his bangs. "If I tell you the truth, won't you judge me?"

"I—"

"If I tell you everything, won't you leave me?"

"Tetsuya—"

"If I finally give in and tell you my secrets, will you remain by my side?"

"I…"

"I've lost enough, Akashi-kun. I don't want to lose you and the others as well just because of my selfish desires to tell what I'm keeping inside me. I would rather keep quiet about them forever than involve you." Kuroko whispered with unreadable tone.

"You can trust us." Akashi assured as he caressed the blue-head's cheek with his hand's thumb.

"Can I truly do?" The other doubted.

"You…" The red-head trailed off as he felt both cold yet warm as well tears fall on his hands. He looked at the transparent drops and back at the phantom player's covered face. "Tetsuya, share your pain with me. I will gladly accept them."

"Why?"

"What why?"

"Why are you so persuasive about knowing about my secrets? Why are you so persuasive to know the truth? Why?" Kuroko grunted as he clutched the red-head's shirt.

Akashi just stared at the one before him as he thought about what to answer. He wasn't prepared for the question neither was he prepared to confess right now. Heck, he wasn't prepared for these things to happen.

He was expecting that he would be at home right now and doing their schoolworks. He was expecting that he would play basketball alone at their backyard after he's done with all his works.

Hell, he wasn't expecting that he would visit the Hospital today and visit Kuroko Tetsuya, of all people, too. It was at the last place in his Expected To-Do List.

_Well, no point lying._

He took a deep breath and lifted Kuroko's chin as he cast aside the latter's bangs to gaze to at the phantom player's clear blue eyes. "Why, you asked? I thought you've noticed."

"Noticed what?" Kuroko innocently murmured.

"This." Akashi replied and leaned his lips with the blue-head's soft ones.

Kuroko's eyes widened and he was about to push the red-head away when he felt Akashi's hand pulling his head closer to deepen the kiss. When the red-head's tongue declared war with his, he finally surrendered and closed his eyes.

He felt dejected when Akashi suddenly pulled away after almost a minute. "Wha…" He trailed off.

The red-head chuckled and traced his lips with his forefinger. "Patience is a virtue, Tetsuya. I will keep you hanging until you finally say to me what you're bottling up inside."

"I—"

"And the answer to your previous question is…" He paused and whispered to the blue-head's ear. "Are the words: 'I love you' enough?"

Kuroko didn't know why but tears suddenly started to drop on his cheeks and he suddenly began to sob like a child who got lost and just found his mother.

Akashi blinked and mentally panicked as his companion started weeping on his chest. "T-Tetsuya…what—"

"I've felt the same for so long, Akashi-kun. And I felt so rejected when the Generation of Miracles began to drift apart from one another and the cause was you. I felt so…so in pain when you started to change into a person I couldn't recognize. You even turned worse few months ago…few months ago when I needed you the most…" He sobbed.

Slowly and hesitantly, Akashi wrapped the blue-head back with his arms.

"Just like the others…you turned your back at me and ignored me as if I never existed. I felt so invisible and useless back then. I felt more hurt when I saw you all play as if you're strangers to one another. It was like I saw my world shattering more and more into bits and fragments. At my most grievous and painful experiences, you weren't there." Kuroko whispered as he wetted Akashi's shirt with his continuous tears.

"Tetsuya…" Akashi mumbled in guilt. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" He chanted.

Kuroko looked up and was about to smile at his ex-captain when flashbacks of that time clouded his mind.

"_**Let me go! No! Not in there! I don't know what you're looking for! Let my family go! No! NO!"**_

"_**Put him inside."**_

"_**NO! NO! I beg you! NO!"**_

Akashi couldn't decide what to do as Kuroko began to cover his face and started whispering the words, "No…No…I don't know…No…I beg you…No!"

He stood up and quickly pressed the red-button on top of the phantom player's bed. He heard hurried footsteps outside and door busted open as the previous doctor and around five nurses went inside the room and began to calm the blue-head down.

For the first time in his life, Akashi just stood there on a corner of the room staring at the one he loves who was seriously in pain.

_**~LFMH021~**_

Kise knocked on the door. "Kurokocchi? Akashicchi?" He called out, but he got no reply. He turned his head and exchanged looks with the other three behind him.

"Is it locked?" Aomine demanded.

"I haven't checked." Kise replied.

Midorima sighed and twisted the doorknob. It was unlock, so they all quietly opened it and went inside. Their hearts clenched in both adoration and in pain upon seeing the two figures on the bed. Kuroko's sleeping on the bed as Akashi placed his head on top of his arm beside one of the blue-head's legs. Their hands were intertwined to the point you wouldn't want to break them apart.

"They look so at peace." Kise murmured and caressed Kuroko's hair.

"They must be exhausted." Aomine stated and placed the basket of biscuits beside the basket of fruits on Kuroko's bedside table.

"Akashi looks as if he hasn't slept for almost two to three days now." Midorima mumbled and closed the open curtains.

"I wonder what happened with Kuro-chin…" Murasakibara added.

"I also do not know until now, Atsushi." The surprisingly-not-really-asleep Akashi replied; opened his eyes and raised his head.

"You still do not know, Aka-chin?" Murasakibara gasped with bored tone.

"I don't. And I don't know if I have the willpower to know."

"Huh? What do you mean? You always have the willpower to do everything, Akashi." Aomine asked in confusion.

Akashi glared at him which silenced him. "He cried earlier, Daiki. He cried as if he hasn't cried for years. He's been bottling up everything since before. Do you know how painful he looked like? Let me see iof you won't get guilty if you heard everything he said. We weren't there. We weren't there when he needed us the most, but he still accepted my apology and tried to smile at me, yet the memories still haunt him to the point that he was screaming earlier and was needed to be injected with sleeping drug just to calm down. If you were in my place, will you still have the guts to force him to speak?!" He growled.

Daiki gulped and looked away. "I won't."

"Does that mean that we won't ask him about these secrets again?" Kise asked as he fingerbrushed Kuroko's teal hair.

"It's fine." They heard someone whisper.

They all turned their heads towards Kuroko who was painstakingly speaking and opening his eyes.

"Tetsuya, don't force yourself." Akashi scolded as Kuroko began to sit up and sit beside Akashi who was now on his bed.

"My Mom, my Dad and even my Big Brother are all missing for almost a month and half now. I'm not even sure if they're still alive." Kuroko started as he leaned his head against Akashi's shoulder and closed his eyelids.

"Then where are you staying at?"

"I only know a cousin of mine who's staying just a street away from out old house. He was the nearest person I could ask for help, and I'm staying at his house. Everything's free—the food, the bills, the internet and even the rent…"

"Wow. Isn't that great—"

"But he asked a condition instead of money as a repayment when I asked to stay at his house." Kuroko cut in to Aomine's comment.

"What condition?"

"I will become his sex slave until my family's found." He whispered in disgust.

There was the painful silence which Kuroko was afraid of.

"Continue, Tetsuya." Urged Akashi.

"I…I had no choice but to agree, so every night he uses me for his own pleasure. I don't like it, not even a bit, but I don't have the strength to refuse. He's towering over me…"

"Where is your family? What happened? Why did they suddenly disappear?" Midorima mumbled.

Kuroko clenched his hands into fists as he recalled what happened and he bit his lip, and tried not to cry.

"Ku—"

Akashi glared up at the green-head. "Silence, Shintarou. Do not pursue that question anymore."

Midorima looked at their phantom player and nodded in understanding. "I understand. I'm sorry."

Kise squatted and took the blue-head's two hands. "So…Kurokocchi, why did you collapse?"

Kuroko opened his eyes and then looked at his smiling friend.

"_**Where do you think you're going?"**_

_**He just continued to run away while limping.**_

"_**You have leukemia right? You're also weak and useless. You'll only get your friends involved, you idiot!"**_

Kuroko opened his mouth to tell the truth when he suddenly closed them. "I'm anemic."

"Anemic? Does your cousin overwork you? Do you want us to report him to the po—"

"NO!" Kuroko cut in.

"Eh? But why?"

"Just…don't…He's still family…" He murmured.

"Are you sure you're just anemic, Tetsu?" Aomine asked.

He nodded with a small smile. "Yes, I assure you that." _Tetsuya, you liar._

Akashi glanced sideways at the teal-head and then narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

_**~LFMH021~**_

It was a Weekday the next day and since he was still in the Hospital and it's his birthday, Kuroko celebrated his special day in the Hospital which was the first in his whole life.

"…to you…Happy birthday, happy birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Both the Generation of Miracles and Seirin Basketball Team sang as they brought Kuroko his cake and gifts.

Everyone greeted him with a smile and just being surrounded by his friends made Kuroko's day complete which he was grateful about.

After almost two hours or three of chatting with his visitors who surprisingly fitted inside his room which shocked him too, everyone left and went back to his own business but not forgetting to give the birthday celebrant his last greeting.

After the exhausting celebration, Kuroko was advised by his personal doctor, Doctor Sawahara, to have some sleep and rest, so he would be able to check out of the hospital tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and he did just that.

That's also when Akashi decided to leave for awhile and finally call his father who was bothering him since last night because he didn't go home.

He went to an deserted area of the floor where Kuroko was at and dialed his father's number. After two rings, Shoujuro Akashi finally picked up and answered, _"This is Akashi Shoujuro. What is your business with me?"_

"This is Akashi Seijuuro speaking. I would like to talk to my not-so-formal father." He mocked back.

His father sighed. _"Seijuro, where are you? Why didn't go home last night? Don't say you're slacking off."_

"I'm not, Dad. Please stop exaggerating." He complained.

"_I don't like you leaving without asking my consent. An Akashi should know when to do things and when to not. I don't want you to be slacker, so get back to work."_

His eyes widened a fraction and he suddenly remembered Kuroko's frightened and painful expression. "Dad, I can't—"

"_No 'I can'ts' Seijuro. You will come back here right now or you'll stay there. If you choose the former, the company will continue to be passed on to you. If you choose the latter, say goodbye to being an Akashi."_

He froze on his ground.

"_I want your reply now, Seijuro."_

"I—"

_**~LFMH021~**_

Kuroko woke up with no help of his nightmares this time, but it was because of a bad sensation he didn't like.

He sat up from his bed and rubbed his eyes before standing up and approaching the fully-body sized window of his room and gazed outside.

He could see the parking lot, the road, the other buildings from where he was at.

He smiled in pleasure as he realized that it wouldn't be too hot today because there's no sun but it wouldn't be too cold, as well, because it's not snowing.

He was half-way in stretching his arms when he saw a familiar car drive out of the parking lot. He narrowed his eyes to see it clearer and he took a step aback as he saw something he couldn't believe.

In the dazzling and attention-seeker limousine's passenger seat sat Akashi and the red-head was gazing back at him. Kuroko placed his palm on the mirror of the window and whispered Akashi's name, "Akashi-kun…Akashi-kun…Akashi-kun!"

Akashi frowned sadly, opened his mouth then closed it again before looking away painfully and closing the passenger's seat's window.

Kuroko gulped and ran to the door without putting on his slippers. He twisted the doorknob and was about to run out of the door when his special day turned worse upon seeing familiar men in gray suits outside of his room's door. They held guns, handkerchiefs, knives, suitcases, and ropes. He gasped and was about to slam the door shut when one of three guys stopped him and reopened the door and took a step forward towards the phantom player. "We finally found you, Kuroko Tetsuya."

"No…" Kuroko murmured in fear.

* * *

**A/N: Finally! I finally finished the 5****th**** chapter! My gosh, I thought I wouldn't finish it tonight!**

**I'm so happy! Yay~**

**I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THOSE WHO PMed OR REVIEWED TO ME JUST TO ASK WHEN THE NEXT UPDATE'S DATE IS AND THANK YOU TO ALL MY EVERLASTING REQUIEM READERS AND REVIEWERS! **

**Hope you liked this chapter. **

**Sorry for any mistake or error!**

**Love yah!**

**Cliffhanger, I love you! –hugs-**

**PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authoress' Note: First of all, I want to apologize for the very late update of mine. I know that you've waited for a very long time, and I really am sorry. Secondly, I want to thank all of the people who reviewed, PMed, messaged me, and sabotaged my inbox to make an update. And lastly, I love you guys so much, you're my inspiration to continue writing although I'm not really a great writer and my stories are not really well-written. Thank you.**

"**Something Lost Will Never Return"**

_**Chapter Six:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

_**Kuroko gulped and ran to the door without putting on his slippers. He twisted the doorknob and was about to run out of the door when his special day turned worse upon seeing familiar men in gray suits outside of his room's door. They held guns, handkerchiefs, knives, suitcases, and ropes. He gasped and was about to slam the door shut when one of three guys stopped him and reopened the door and took a step forward towards the phantom player. "We finally found you, Kuroko Tetsuya." **_

"_**No…" Kuroko murmured in fear.**_

"The game of hide and seek of ours will end now." Even with glasses on, Kuroko could still recognize each of the three men dressed in black before him. The one who just spoke was named Kaoru Mikaru.

"We weren't playing hide and seek since the start, why would we need to end it?" Kuroko mumbled and took more steps backward and his hand was silently searching for anything he could hold onto for and use as a weapon.

"From what we've seen, it looks to us like you wanted to be the 'it' in our little game." The second of the three, whose name was Fukai Masoto, complained.

"There's no game. And there's no it." Kuroko murmured and mentally celebrated as his hand took hold of the long curtain rod on top of his bedside table. He already had no idea how and why that thing ended up there, but he should be thankful for whoever did it anyway.

"Too bad for you then, because from now on, you'll be our 'it'." The last man, Usaki Hiaku, grunted and grabbed his left arm.

Because of instinct, he grabbed the curtain rod behind him and hit Usaki's stomach, hard. "Don't touch me." He stated.

Usaki cursed in pain and backed away. "You damned brat. You'll pay for that."

"Get him, Fukai!" Kaoru yelled in distress and helped Usaki up. Fukai blocked Kuroko's door and smirked as he confidently blocked it with his arms and even his legs.

"You won't get away from us ever again. You'll give us what we need. You'll never run again. And you'll be ours. You'll end up like your family who—Shit!" He growled as Kuroko cut his sentence off by hitting his 'that' with the curtain rod's end. Fukai cursed loudly in pain as the blue-head threw the curtain rod on the ground and quickly ran out of the room upon having a little opportunity.

He was expecting that even just one of the nurses and doctors in-charge would realize what he's doing and stop him because he's still recovering or maybe hear all the commotion and help him out, but neither of his hopes had come true as the nurses continued to laugh with something one of them told while the doctors were busy going inside one room and going out from the other and then appear out of nowhere again. You can't even call one of them as they suddenly disappear as fast as they appeared.

He almost wanted to chuckle even just a little when he heard a shout, "Kuroko Tetsuya! Come back here!"

He gulped and ran faster if that was even possible for him.

"Come back here, you damn brat, we said!" Usaki yelled.

They were just few meters away from him and he's already mentally panicking. "No, no, no…" He whispered and tried to ran faster.

"Damn it!" Fukai growled, reached out and almost got hold of Kuroko's pajama top's back collar.

He was panting, but he couldn't stop. He _shouldn't _stop. He _mustn't _stop.

"Please, please, please…" He chanted as his legs almost gave in.

And Kaoru hand almost caught a lock of his hair.

They're just three inches away.

Two.

One.

Half inch—

He almost collapsed in relief when the guard – who looked like he's just about 18 to 20 years old- of the first floor appeared out of the hospital's cafeteria and blocked the three's way. "Pardon, sirs, but may I ask what's the ruckus is all about?" He politely asked.

Kaoru glared at him. "That's none of your business."

"It is, because you're chasing one of our hospital's charges. Besides, you looks suspicious and are even running in the hallway which is greatly prohibited." The guard who had the name tag with the name: Yusei Takaru, pointed out.

"We goddamn don't care, so get the hell out of our way!" Usaki yelled.

Yusei spread his arms wide open. "No."

"We don't have time for this! Leave him be! Go after Kuroko!" Fukai complained and was about to pass by Yusei when the latter stepped before him and shook his head.

"I said no, sir, so it means no." He explained and turned his head towards the panting phantom player. "Go! Go! Hurry!" He hissed.

Kuroko's eyes widened and his legs suddenly started moving and he ran out of the building as fast as he could.

He didn't wear any slippers. He didn't change his clothes. He didn't care about his bed hair. He didn't even brush his teeth yet. He didn't care and he still doesn't as long as he could run away.

No one was staring at him like he's some kind of madman who was running on the streets.

"Help…Help please!" He tried hard to shout for help as he ran.

He couldn't breathe. His sight was getting blurry. His heart was beating hard in his chest like crazy. He felt like dying. "Can…not…cannot… breathe…" He huffed as he turned to corner. "Akashi-kun…Akashi-kun…Help me…Akahsi-kun…"

The only thing keeping him running were the shouts of his pursuers and his longing to see Akashi, his faith that the red-head would hear him.

_**~LFMH021~**_

Akashi regretted his decision but it was already too late.

He couldn't take his words back, especially if we're talking about Akashi Shoujuro, the head of the Akashi clan.

He never had the courage to say 'no' to his almighty father.

But, his heart…his heart felt like bursting out of its rib cage as a tingling sensation haunted his conscience and he couldn't stop from looking back at the already not-in-sight- building of where Kuroko was.

He was feeling guilty for leaving just right after the blue-head's birthday; and especially when they just told each other's feeling; just right after he promised to never leave him after knowing the truth.

He betrayed him and he almost wanted to stab himself.

"Young master?" His personal driver called out as the car pulled into a stop before a pharmacy.

"Yes?"

"Master ordered me to buy some supplements because he already ran out of them, would you like to go out or stay here?" He politely asked.

Akashi frowned and closed his eyes. "I'll stay here. Take your time, it's fine with me, I need some time alone anyway. Leave me for about eight minutes, it's enough." He stated.

The driver nodded and went out of the car without turning off the air-conditioner and the radio which was playing some classical music which made Akashi feel worse.

He washed his face with his hands in distress. He just felt so uneasy and restless, like there's something definitely wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it out. "Damn it…" He whispered in frustration. "Tetsuya, Tetsuya, Tetsuya." He grunted.

He felt a familiar presence and looked outside of his window. He frowned in confusion as he saw a still-dressed-in-his-pajamas-with-bed-hair-and-wit hout-slippers Kuroko running on the streets without anyone noticing him as if someone—Akashi's heterochromatic eyes widened as he saw three guys in black chasing after the phantom player.

He rolled down the windows of the car.

"Come back here! Damn it, Kuroko Tetsuya! We'll really kill you!" One shouted.

Oen almost got hold of his pajama top's edge. "Shit, that was close."

"Faster! Run faster! You stupid brat!" The last one hissed.

He could see Kuroko panting hard and running as fast as he could although he could almost faint in exhaustion. And his paleness was not usual which made Akashi's heart thump loud.

He opened his side's door and quickly ran after the four without caring about his driver. A car almost hit him too, but he only glared on its driver.

His eyes widened a fraction as he recognized the path Kuroko was running to.

"Tetsuya!" He shouted, but with all the commotion and chatters around them, not even Kuroko's pursuers could hear him. "No, Tetsuya! Tetsuya, don't go there!"

He's almost there. He could stop the phantom player. No, he _needs _to stop the blue-head. Or else.

"Tetsuya!" He growled as they finally turned to the dangerous corner.

"Goddamn it, when did that boy learn how to run that fast?" Kuroko heard one of three cursed.

"I'm exhausted! Shit!" Another grunted.

"Chase after him! He's exhausted too! Let's take this as an advantage!" Kaoru encouraged and the three of them shouted 'Aaaah!' as they ran faster to finally catch him.

He gulped, huffed and turned to a corner.

"Tetsuya!" He heard a familiar voice shout.

He turned his head and found Akashi right behind Kaoru, Uskai and Fukai. "Aka—"

His sentence was cut off into a gasp as his feet didn't touch the ground anymore and he was already in the air. He turned his head back and found himself rolling down of the stairs of the under construction subway of their town. He hit his head billions of times and he felt like few of his ribs cracked. Another three painful rolled, then his head hit the wall, so he bounced back but then he accidentally twisted his wrist which looked like sprained it.

He was sure that today was definitely his day. He saw crimson blocking his view and from the smell of it, he was sure it was blood.

_Well…I'm bleeding._

And yes, that was his only reaction.

"Kyaaa! Help him! He's injured!" He heard someone scream.

"Call an ambulance!" Another ordered.

"Shit! He's bleeding and losing a lot of blood!"

"Get the first aid kit on the base! Hurry or I'll hit you with this hammer on my hand!"

"TETSUYA!"

_That was Akashi-kun right? I'm not hearing things, am I? Or did I hit my head too hard I'm hallucinating?_

"Akashi-kun…?"

_**~LFMH021~**_

He saw Kuroko turn to that corner and his heart almost stopped as he heard Kuroko's pursuers cursing aloud.

"Shit. He fell." One disbelievingly murmured.

"Hey, Kaoru, what are we going to do?" One panicked.

The guy named Kaoru gulped. "Let's just come back after him next time or else the police will know it was our fault and arrest us."

He was about to grab them to confront them when he suddenly heard screams from under the subway.

"Kyaa! Help him! He's injured!"

"Call an ambulance!"

"Shit! He's bleeding and he's losing a lot of blood!"

And he jumped from the first step to the last step in hurry before shoving all the people his way towards the blue-head.

He almost wanted to take a step backwards as he saw the pool of blood surrounding his Kuroko's body. "TETSUYA!" He gasped and knelt beside the phantom player and didn't care about the blood which would stain his pants.

The blue-head half-opened his eyes. "Akashi-kun…?"

"I'm here, you're not hearing things, don't worry." He assured.

Kuroko painstakingly took something from his pockets and placed two black wristbands on his lap. "Keep those and don't let those three get those. Keep…them…please…"

Akashi put them inside his shirt's pocket and nodded. "I understand."

Kuroko raised a hand covered with his own blood and smiled slightly.

Akashi nodded and placed his against the blue-head's. "Mine's bigger."

"Only a millimeter, Akashi-kun." Kuroko pointed out weakly. "It hurts, Akashi-kun…My wounds, my cuts, my cracks, they…they hurt…" He huffed as he held onto Akashi-'s hand. "They hurt…Akashi-kun…"

His hands uncharacteristically started to tremble as he saw tears coming out from Kuroko's eyes. "Tetsuya—"

More tears poured out from Kuroko's eyes. "…Akashi…kun…?"

Faint yells could be heard from behind them,

"Where's the ambulance?!"

"He's stuck in the traffic, sir because of an accident!"

"Damn it! Can't we do anything, the boy's almost—"

And Akashi didn't really care as he clutched Kuroko's hand infront of his chest as if the latter would disappear few minutes from now.

"…I…I was…planning…to…to tell…you…that…that…I…I…want…to…enter…the…contest…w ith…you…but…but—" Kuorko weakly whispered as he stared at Akashi's heterochromatic eyes.

"Don't force yourself. Rest." Akashi murmured as he removed the stain of blood on the blue-head's cheek.

"…Akashi…kun…why…did…you leave?" He finally asked as he absorbed the warmth of Akashi's hand. "Is it because you hate me now?"

"No."

"You…don't?"

"Of course, I don't, Tetsuya…I'll never hate you… I'll never do." He whispered as the blue-head's eyes slowly closed.

"They hurt, Akashi-kun…They hurt…I can't breathe…Akashi-kun…Where are you? Akashi-kun!"

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He couldn't do anything. He didn't know what to do. His mind was getting mental blank.

"Akashi-kun…"

He held the blue-head's hand firmly. "Tetsuya."

He felt so useless as he watch the blue-head panting and huffing his –perhaps—last breathe of his life.

Akashi bit his bottom lip as Kuroko smiled up at him with one-fourth opened teal-colored eyes.

He felt so guilty. Why did he leave him? Why they heck did things turn out like this? It was all my fault, Akashi thought as leaned his forehead with Kuroko's. "Stay strong, please, please."

"Take care of the MiraGen, they need you, Akashi-kun…Take care of yourself…please, please, take care of yourself…" Kuroko mumbled.

Five men from the Hospital finally arrived and gently placed Kuroko on a stretcher.

He stood there, because he couldn't follow after him, it was forbidden especially that the ambulance was kinda full.

He let go of Kuroko's hand, but the latter raised it and gently stroked Akashi's cheek before fully leaving. "I love you, Akashi-kun." He whispered before the five staff of the Hospital finally placed him inside the ambulance and it drove off.

He ran to where their car was and went inside. "To Raven Hospital! Hurry!" He yelled to his driver and opened his cellphone to call a number.

After three rings, he picked it up.

"_Hello? This is—"_

"I don't care about your welcoming response, call the others and go to Raven Hospital. Be there after fifteen minutes or I'll be the one to push you into the subway." He threatened to a certain green-head and hung up as he glared at the traffic jam before them.

"_**I love you, Akashi-kun."**_

He finally let a tear slide down on his cheek.

_Damn it, Tetsuya, stay alive, stay alive, stay alive…or you'll also kill me emotionally._

And inside one of Raven Hospital's ambulance, a certain teal-head's heart beta became slower and slower that it made a long beep that alarmed all the staffs inside the ambulance.

"Sh*t." One cursed.

* * *

**A/N: I love, love, love, love cliffhangers! Yeah! **

**Sorry about the wait.**

**Once again, thank you for my reviewers and readers! I love you guys! **

**I beg your pardon for any mistake of mine.**

**I hoped you liked it although there was this cliffhanger again.**

**PLEASE, LEAVE A REVIEW. I WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE IT! **

**Love, Blessie, signing out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone! It has been awhile since I've updated huh? Well, let me explain my long absence then, my projects and assignments at school almost killed me and my classmates these last few days, and this week, maybe since Saturday, there was a typhoon in our country, Philippines and it hit Central Luzon, where our city is located, quite hard and the flood almost came inside our house, so we panicked and…well, you know, I had no time to update, actually it still rains hard here and still has high flood infront of our house, so we're still being alert. I hope you understand.**

**Love you, guys? But, favor? More reviews please. –puppy eyes-**

**By the way, many are complaining for my change of couples, do not worry, people, I love you guys so much I will grant your wishes. **

**ENJOY!**

**Hugs,**

**Me and my wicked plans.**

* * *

"**Something Lost Will Never Return"**

_**Chapter Seven:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

And inside one of Raven Hospital's ambulance, a certain teal-head's heart beat became slower and slower that it made a long beep that alarmed all the staffs inside the ambulance.

"Sh*t." One cursed.

"CPR! Hurry!" One of the two doctors inside shouted.

Two of the nurses surrounding Tetsuya took out the CPR Unit and prepared it for few seconds before using it to revive the not-beating heart of the phantom player. They did for three times, but the heart monitor continued the long beep.

"We can't give up now!" The other doctor growled, grabbed the CPR Unit from the nurses and tried it again and again.

"Doctor Sawaka…" The other doctor murmured.

He continued pressing the unit into the bluenette's chest, his sweat being wiped by the nurses beside him, but he didn't care and continued as long as he could. "Didn't you see the red-head's face earlier before he left? Didn't you see how hard it was to him to watch this little guy to be away from him with no certainty of his safety? Didn't you see how pained he was, Doctor Huika?" He grunted and pressed it harder into Kuroko's chest.

Doctor Huika gulped then nodded, before grabbing the phone not a meter away from him. "Get ready for an operation. We'll b right there after one or two minutes. Be damn ready or we'll kill you." He ordered and placed the phone back into its place. "Let me try."

"B-But, doctor…it was almost two minutes when his heart stopped…" One of the four nurses murmured.

Doctor Sawaka glared at her. "So, what's your point? Let him die when he still has even 1% of being revived?"

She gasped and quickly shut her mouth.

Huika grabbed the CPR Unit, took a deep breath, then pressed the unit into Kuroko's chest for few seconds then released it. They waited and then almost collapsed in relief when they heard the small beep from the heart monitor. Even if it's slow and weak, Kuroko's heart beat started again, and it was enough for them.

_**~LFMH021~**_

Akashi paced back and forth before the door of the Operating Room where Kuroko was instantly placed at when he arrived in the hospital. The red-head arrived after almost twenty minutes, and a surgery was already being done to Kuroko, so all he could do was wait outside.

He suddenly remembered the scenario that happened right after the Winter Cup Finals ended.

_**He watched in shock when his predictions failed him. Kagami and Kuroko did attack him at the same time, as he predicted, at first, but then Kuroko tapped the ball to an unknown direction and to no one at all. Akashi frowned and gasped as Kuroko suddenly disappeared and Kagami also did after awhile. He looked behind him and found Kuroko running towards the boundary line and tapped the ball back to Kagami, before crashing into the audience's seats' boundaries. **_

"_**Shoot it, Kagami-kun!" Kuroko shouted as he started to stand up.**_

"_**No! Stop the—" Akashi didn't shout on time, because before he could even move, Kagami jumped very high and dunked the ball so hard into the hoop, it almost fell off again.**_

_**After a second, the referee made a long whistle and made the sign of the end of the game. "Game over! Seirin won with 99 to 97!" He announced. **_

"_**YES!" Seirin's members celebrated and approached Kuroko to support him. **_

_**He frowned. The Generation of miracles should be there beside Kuroko, not Seirin. He should be the one making a small high-five with the blue-head and smiling at him. He should be the one with him, not those people.**_

"_**Teams assemble!"The referee ordered and they did so before bowing to one another.**_

_**He looked up and met Kuroko's eyes as they started to separate ways. "You won. You can forget the oath. You can forget me. I've brought you enough pain, right? You can just think and pretend that Akashi Seijuuro never existed in your life."**_

_**Kuroko's eyes widened with what he heard and trembled as the red-head started to head towards his team's bench.**_

_**Akashi looked up and met his teammates' eyes. He narrowed his eyes and smirked. "I know, you're blaming me for losing the finals. Don't worry, I also do. As promised, I will now quit as Rakuzan's captain and stop playing basketball from now—" He was cut off when a hand grabbed his arm and turned his around. **_

"_**DON'T!", was Kuroko's sudden shout on his face.**_

_**He frowned. "What?"**_

"_**Don't quit! Don't stop playing basketball!" He panted and squeezed his arm. "Please, Akashi-kun, don't."**_

_**He bemusedly laughed and stared at Kuroko as if he's a ghost or an alien. "You won already, Tetsuya. We lost, 'I' lost. I think I have the right to quit especially when I was the one who brought this team down—"**_

"_**No, you didn't!" Kuroko urged and looked at Rakuzan's members. "Do you agree with me?"**_

_**They looked at one another then smiled wide grins. "Yep, we agree, captain! You don't need to quit being our captain, and stop playing the sport you love the most. Losing comes into anyone's life, you don't have to blame yourself!"**_

_**He frowned, turned to his members then back to the phantom player again. "Why, Tetsuya? Wasn't I the reason why you and Ogiwara Shigehiro's friendship shattered into pieces? Wasn't I the reason you hated basketball? Wasn't I the reason why you felt too much pain?" He demanded.**_

"_**Yes, you were the reasons for those memories." The bluenette bluntly replied.**_

_**He mentally flinched with how cold and pained Kuroko's voice was when he answered.**_

"_**But," The phantom player quickly added. He looked up and smiled warmly at him. "But, you're also the reason how I found out where I'm good at. You were the reason why enjoyed basketball more. And you were the reason I met the Generation of Miracles. You, Akashi-kun, was the reason why I still play basketball and will forever play it." **_

_**He froze, he stiffened, he turned into a statue. His eyes widened so much it scared his teammates. **_

_**Kuroko waved a hand before Akashi's face. "Akashi-kun?"**_

_**He blinked, which relieved the Rakuzan's members, and looked right into Kuroko's teal-colored eyes, which were filled with innocence, sincerity and mercy. He couldn't help smiling as he approached him and wrapped his arms around him. "Thank you." He whispered.**_

_**Kuroko barely heard, but did anyway and his heart thumped loud uncharacteristically and he looked up at Akashi. He smiled back and snuggled closer into the red-head's chest. "You're always welcome, Akashi-kun."**_

_**That's also when the other members of the Generation of Miracles arrived and congratulated them both. That's when Akashi realized that Kuroko was never the shadow, he has always been the light of his world.**_

He frustratingly clenched his fists and sat on the waiting area's bench in impatience.

"Akashicchi!" From the voice, nickname and irritating cry—Akashi quickly distinguished who was flying onto his arms, that's also why he instinctively stood up and went as far as he could from a certain blonde model which was also the reason that the latter ended up with red nose for hitting his face into the bench's hard surface. "Ow…"

Aomine picked Kise up and sat him beside him in the bench. "You're seriously an idiot, aren't you?"

Kise pouted. "I'm not!"

Midorima glared at both of them. "Keep it quiet, both of you."

"Akachin, you alright?" Murasakibara asked as he patted Akashi's head in concern. "Want some pocky?" He adorably offered a pack of chocolate Pocky at the red-head with his head tilted to one side.

Akashi looked up at the violet-head, then at the other three arguing on the bench. He couldn't help realizing another fact.

Kise stood up from his seat and approached the Operating Room's door before peeking although he couldn't see anything but nurses and doctors doing all they could to cure Kuroko who was fighting for his life. "Is he going to be alright…?" He mumbled.

No one replied to his question which almost felt like a knife was stabbed into his chest with their sudden and chilly silence. "No one knows huh…" The copycat added and involuntarily took a step aback. "Kurokocchi's almost dying, but we're here…doing nothing."

"We're not doing nothing, we're waiting and trusting him." Aomine corrected with a determined expression.

"Are those enough?" Kise whispered which startled the four. The blonde has always been a childish, clingy and nosy person, but it was very rare and important to listen to him when he becomes sober, because that meant that what he was going to say was something that'll open others' hearts and minds. "Haven't you heard him before? He didn't know if he should even trust us again after we abandoned him, after we turned our backs on him…If it was you, would you be able to trust them again when you have already made a mistake by trusting them before?" He questioned and sat back on his seat. "Can our prayers and trust even reach him?" He mumbled, bit his bottom lip and wiped the tears that betrayed him.

"Kise…" Aomine murmured and easily leaned the blonde's head into his chest.

"Kurokocchi…Kurokocchi is the reason why we're here…he was the reason why we reunited again…" He sobbed.

Three pairs of eyes looked up at a certain red-head leaning against the wall. "Is that true, Akashi? Do you also think the same?"

"Of course I do. From the very start, he wanted to become the bridge to change us or bring us to our old selves. He was the bridge which let us meet one another again." He replied.

Aomine's arm tightened around Kise as the latter sobbed harder into his chest. "Where Kasamatsu?"

"H-He's with t-the team…pr-practicing…" Kise replied between hiccups.

Aomine placed his hand on his head and pulled it closer into the crook of his neck and shoulder. "That damn bastard, I thought I told him to take care of you." He hissed unconsciously.

Kise blinked. "Eh?" He mumbled in surprise and raised his head to look to the power forward. "What…do you mean?"

Aomine's eyes widened upon realizing what he just spat and bit his bottom lip and averted his gaze, clearly feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

Akashi looked at the two through the corner of his eyes and mentally smirked. _I thought so. _He thought.

Midorima turned a little to know what's going on and felt the awkward atmosphere, so he quickly dismissed his curiosity that wanted him to eavesdrop and tried not to get involved.

Murasakibara just continued nibbling his lollipop as he sat on the floor, leaned against the wall, beside Akashi, staring into space.

Aomine growled in frustration, then grabbed Kise's arm before dragging the latter to the rooftop. "This'll only take few minutes!" He shouted to the remaining three.

"I don't mind. Take your time." Akashi coldly stated and crossed his arms before his chest as he stared at the OR's door.

"_**Akashi-kun! Goodbye! Take care on your way home." Kuroko bade with a small smile before walking to the opposite direction. **_

That time was just a simple see-you-again bid, but this time…he's not really sure.

Akashi never felt special, and he never considered anyone special to him either…until a teal-head walked into his life with innocent and challenging eyes that caught his attention.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

Aomine growled in frustration, then grabbed Kise's arm before dragging the latter to the rooftop. "This'll only take few minutes!" He shouted to the remaining three.

"I don't mind. Take your time." Akashi coldly stated and he couldn't help flinching with the red-head's tone.

"Aominecchi! Wait! A-Aominecchi!" Kise panted as he tried to keep the same pace as the dark head. "Aominecchi!"

He wasn't really planning to say it today. Heck, he wasn't planning to say it forever, until his stupid big mouth has slipped. It's not like he could just take them back, not when Kise's before him crying with no Kasamatsu there for him and no Kagami to make him feel awkward.

He forcefully opened the locked door of the rooftop and shoved themselves inside before shutting it behind him.

"Aominecchi, what—"

"Damn it!" Aomine cut in.

Kise blinked in surprise. "Aominecchi…are you alright?"

He took a deep breath and looked straight into those golden orbs before starting, "I love you."

Now, that was such a nice beginning.

Kise blinked as a blush appeared on both of his cheeks. "H-Huh? Aominecchi, this isn't funny."

"Of course it isn't, I'm not laughing, you dumbass." Aomine grumbled and took a step closer to the blonde. "I love you since we were in middle school, Kise, is that such a hard thing to understand?"

"B-But you're with Kagamicchi and I'm with K-Kasamatsu-senpai…" Kise stammered as he took a step backwards.

Aomine bit his bottom lip and sighed. "My relationship with Kagami is just temporary. He pities me, I pity him, so we decided to go out with each other, so we'll provide each other's needs and won't feel lonely and left out…"

"B-but why?" Kise unbelievingly gasped.

Aomine averted his gaze. "Because you were already Kasamatsu's. He gathered courage earlier than I did. You're already his when I finally had the courage to tell it to you."

The copycat stared, speechless, at the ace player and gulped. "I also do." He whispered, hesitant.

Aomine looked up in confusion. "What?"

"I also love you back…since we were in Teikou, but I thought it was Kurokocchi you were interested with, so I brushed off my feelings although I felt so rejected and broken-hearted…Then when we turned into High Schoolers, I thought you really loved Kagamicchi, so I accepted Kasamatsu-senpai's feelings, disregarding my own although it shouts your name over and over again." He murmured.

They stared at each other because they both adorably blushed tomato red up to their ears. "Ok, this is awkward." Aomine grunted as he scratched his head.

Kise pouted, took long strides towards the bluenette and stopped an inch before him.

"What?" Aomine complained and gasped when his head was suddenly pulled a little downwards and his lips met Kise's into a hot kiss. His eyes widened, but then they slowly closed as he wrapped his arms around Kise's waist and deepened the kiss by inserting his tongue inside Kise's mouth and battling against the blonde and winning.

Kise moaned when he felt Aomine's hand slip inside his shirt and trace his chest with his warm fingers. He moaned louder when the blue-head tipped his head to nip Kise's earlobe deliciously.

"A-Aominecchi…" He purred and pulled the ace closer. "T-This won't be easy."

"It sure damned won't be." Aomine agreed.

They looked at each other's eyes, smiled and then leaned their lips against each other's once again, savoring the little time given to them.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

"_Let go, Akashi-kun!" He heard Kuroko yell as Akashi's arm started feeling numb for holding onto the teal-head for several minutes already._

_He tried pulling him up, but failed miserably. He suddenly regretted having a small body. "No, Tetsuya."_

"_But, well both fall if you continue this." Kuroko pleaded, "Let me go, Akashi-kun."_

_He gritted his teeth. "If you'll fall, then I'll fall with you instead of letting you go." He insisted and jumped from where he was onto the air, before wrapping his arms around a startled teal-head. _

"_Akashi-kun—"_

"_I'll never let go; I'll rather be killed and die with you." He grunted._

_He felt Kuroko slipping from his grasp and he tried to grab him back, but he's falling down, down and down until he's nowhere in sight. "Akashi-kun!" He heard the other cry._

_He shouted with all he had, "TETSUYA!"_

A shake of his shoulders jolted him awake from the nightmare he just had. He rubbed his eyes a little, opened them and looked up. His eyes widened upon seeing the two doctors that were assigned to Kuroko's operation awhile ago.

"Are you a relative of Kuroko Tetsuya?" One of them asked gently.

He shook his head and sat up straight. "No relative of his came, so, as his friends, we went here instead." He explained. "Is his operation done?"

They smiled a little and nodded. "Yes, about ten to fifteen minutes ago."

He massaged his temple. _Where the hell are those other three? _"Is he alright?"

"His operation was successful, his heart almost stopped few times inside the ambulance and inside the OR, but thank God that he's being resuscitated. He's been placed in Room 38 on the second floor. One to Four visitors are only allowed inside one's room, alright?"

"Before anything, what injuries did he receive from that long fall?" Akashi queried as he stood up to get ready.

The two doctors exchanged looks and remembered Kuroko's plea before his operation started, _"__**Please don't let Akashi-kun…know that I have leukemia…Please, I beg you." **_

And they promised it to him, so they need to grant it, right?

The other smiled. "He has broken one rib, twisted his ankle, he almost lost a lot of blood that led him to death, but the scenario changed when he arrived in the hospital. Oh, and he sprained his right wrist." They enumerated.

"His right wrist?" He repeated.

"Yes, we believe that he needs to rest it for about two weeks, so it'll recover." They replied. "Excuse us, we need to tend other patients now, would that be alright?"

He nodded. "Yes, of course." And then he started going on the second floor with suspicious and guilty expression on his face.

After arriving on the second floor, he looked for Room 38 and knocked on the door when he was infront of it. He was feeling quite nervous and panicked without any particular reason.

"Come in.", said the mild voice.

He twisted the door knob and slowly went inside the room and closed the door behind him. He finally looked at the person on the bed and clenched his fists. "Tetsuya, I…"

"Akashi-kun?" cut in the phantom player.

"Yes?"

"It is you, Akashi-kun!" Kuroko whispered in awe and tears poured on his cheeks. "You're here…"

He only took two long strides to be able to approach the bluenette and instinctively wiped the tears away. "What are crying all about?" He demanded with amusement and caressed the phantom player's cheek.

He was startled when Kuroko suddenly wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Akashi-kun."

"What's this? What's up with you? Is something wrong?"

Kuroko shook his head and leaned his head against the red-head's chest. "It's just…I thought you left…I was waiting for you this whole time, but you never arrived until…It just makes me happy that this time, you didn't abandon me, that you waited for me…and that you stayed as you promised in my dream—you didn't let go."

His eyes widened upon remembering his recent dream. "You..." He trailed off on purpose and absorbed the heat coming from Kuroko's body. _He's alive, he's alive and breathing. He didn't drown into the darkness. He's in my arms._

"I love you, Tetsuya." He whispered with pride and confidence. "I love you and don't ask me why or I'll stab you then stab myself afterwards."

"Are—"

"Don't even ask if I'm kidding, because I'm obviously not. And lastly, this is not a movie, so don't ask if I love you as friend, because I don't. I love you as in I _love _you." He cut in, just in case Kuroko question his feelings.

"But, Akashi-kun…I don't think I deserve this special treatment…If it was because of my confession before I fainted…you don't need to feel responsible. I truly feel that towards you, but I don't want to force you to love me back. I mean, I—"

Akashi silenced him by pushing him on the bed and kissing him deeply that it almost made Kuroko faint again. "Silence," He ordered and lifted Kuroko's right hand. "I love you, and I don't need ridiculous reasons to have that feeling towards you. I love you, that's all that matters for me right now, alright? Except that I'm truthfully and honestly glad you feel the same way." He complained and gave Kuroko another hot kiss.

"A-Akashi-kun…" Kuroko murmured.

The red-head smirked and started to trail butterfly kisses until Kuroko's collarbone, before biting it.

"A-Ah, Akashi-kun…Mmmnnn…" Kuroko moaned with pleasure.

"Hush, or the doctors and nurses will hear you." Akashi commanded and lifted Kuroko's top pajamas. "Stifle your moans, will you?" He whispered and sucked Kuroko's nipple into his mouth.

The bluenette gasped silently and squirmed in the process of stifling his groans and moans. "Nnnnnggg…"

The red-head did the same with the other nipple before trailing down into the blue-head's navel. He licked it before going upwards and removing Kuroko's hand that covered his mouth.

"Moan." He ordered with a kiss which made Kuroko shudder and purr.

"A-Akashi-kun…"

Akashi went into a sitting position beside the bluenette and chuckled with the unnoticeable disappointment in the phantom player's teal eyes. "I'm just holding back, because you're injured, but wait until you're fully recovered and you'll regret loving this Akashi Seijuuro."

Kuroko blinked then nodded. "Then, I shall fully recover fast then."

"Indeed, you should." Akashi agreed and then leaned closer to Kuroko. "Tomorrow, you'll tell me everything. From your illness, to your bruises, to the memories that haunt you and to the secrets you're keeping. If I won't get answers, I'll punish you."

Kuroko couldn't help gulping.

"Understood?" Akashi mumbled with cold tone.

The bluenette nodded. "Y-Yes, Akashi-kun."

"And another thing, from now on, you shall call me Sei-kun or Seijuuro-kun."

"Sei-kun?" Kuroko tried.

He smiled and caressed the phantom player's cheek with his thumb. "After you're checked out of this hospital, you will stay on my place. I don't want your bastard cousin using you again for his own accord or I'll kill him."

"What…about your father?"

He smirked. "That's something I could handle, so don't worry. I will do anything just to keep you safe."

Kuroko blinked and painstakingly hugged the red-head from behind. "Thank you, Sei-kun."

All of Akashi's control shattered with that adorable gratitude message, and he turned to meet Kuroko's surprised eyes. "You're really tempting me, aren't you?" He demanded and lifted Kuroko's chin.

"W-Waah…Aka—I mean, Sei-kun…"

He placed a smooch into the blue-head's soft lips. "You'll join the Generation of Miracles again, right?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Perhaps?" He replied.

Kuroko smiled slightly and nodded. "Then, I will."

"Good." Akashi grunted and savaged Kuroko's swollen lips.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

Murasakibara blinked when he encountered Midorima along the hallway of the Hospital. He just went downstairs to buy a bag of snacks and decided to go to Room 38.

"Mido-chin?" He called out in confusion.

Midorima looked up with red cheeks and red ears. "Ugh…"

"Huh, Mido-chin, you alright?"

Midorima covered his face. "Damn, and I thought it was just Kise and Aomine; now also Akashi and Kuroko." He complained.

Murasakibara frowned a little then proceeded towards where Room 28 was located when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Don't." Midorima ordered.

He pouted. "But why~?"

Midorima started to drag him away from Room 28. "I don't want your innocence to be removed too, Murasakibara. Now, I better give you back to Himuro Tatsuya, so he could take care of you."

"What about Kise-chin, Mine-chin, Aka-china and Kuro-chin?" He queried.

Once again, Midorima turned into a fully ripped tomato and dragged him away faster now. "No. Stay with Himuro Tatsuya. I don't want your mind to be corrupted too."

He blinked. "Huh?"

_I don't get it. _The violet-head complained mentally.

* * *

**A/N: I love you guys!**

**Missed me? I also did.**

**Wow, that was a long update. And very boring too. Damn, Blessie, can't you do any better?!**

**PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Who wants some…romantic scenes? Raise your hands! –raise my hand-**

**Bye bye.**

**Hugs,**

**Me and my stupid grin.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Authoress' Note: It's been awhile, ne, minna-san? How have you been? I really am sorry for being hiatus for too long. There are just too much things we need to do at school, so I needed to have a vacation from surfing the net. **

**I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD FOR YOUR WONDERFUL AND ENCOURAGING REVIEWS!**

**By the way, the sequel for 'Everlasting Requiem' is on its way; its title will be: 'Butterfly Effect'. Hope you'll read and review on it too.**

**Disclaimer: (Haven't done this for awhile) I don't own KNB except for my own Other Characters: the guard, Akashi Shoujuro, and the other incoming OCs. **

**ENJOY!**

**From,**

**Me and my writer-blocked imagination.**

* * *

"**Something Lost Will Never Return"**

_**Chapter Eight:**_

_The Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. An incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive championship wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the "Generation of Miracles". Despite being relatively unknown and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies. A phantom sixth man. _

He jolted awake when the cellphone beside his head rang and vibrated wildly. He sleepily searched for it and opened it before half-opening his eyes and read the ID Caller.

**Caller: Kagami Taiga**

He blinked and used his left hand to pressed answer for he couldn't even move a finger of his right wrist up to his fingers. "Hello? Kuroko Tetsuya speaking."

"_Oi, Kuroko, where the hell are you? You suddenly disappeared yesterday from the hospital you were checked in at!" _The red-head on the other line demanded.

He glanced at the watch on top of his side table and found out that it was already nearing five in the morning. "…I'm sorry. Things happened and well…"

"_Well?" _Kagami impatiently prompted. _"You sound like your throat is so dry? Where are you, anyway?"_

"I'm in the other hospital in this area…Well, things happened and I ended up falling on the subways' stairs…and—"

"_WHAT?!" _Kagami practically yelled right on his ear.

He winced with the effect of his 'light's' shouting and pushed it a little. "I think you've heard me quite clearly, Kagami-kun. But don't worry, Sei—Akashi-kun is here to take care—"

"_Yeah, right. Take care of you? I saw with my own eyes how he left you back in your former hospital. You think I will let __**him **__take care of you after that? I'll be there after few minutes and—"_

He blinked owlishly when his cellphone was suddenly snatched away from his hand by no other than Akashi Seijuuro, who might have awoken from Kagami's yelling earlier. "I'm talking to Kagami Taiga, am I right?" The red-head mumbled in annoyance. "Yes, this is Akashi Seijuuro. I believe that you do not trust me enough to let me take care of Tetsuya, but just so you know—I do not care about your opinion. He will stay on my place until he has fully recovered, do not be bothered because he would still attend school when I know that he can truly endure a whole day of stress. No, I am not obliged to tell you where I live at. And no, I will not let you visit him. Do not judge me, yes I left yesterday morning and I have reasons for- Do not question me, Kagami Taiga, I love Tetsuya, now is that enough as an answer?" He continuously babbled and then paused a little before regarding the teal-head a little. "…Just leave him alone or I'll take out your heart and chop it into pieces." It looked like Kagami was still saying something, but Akashi then hung up and turned off Kuroko's phone.

"…Sei-kun?"

Akashi glanced at him before sighing. "You do pick troublesome lights, Tetsuya." He mumbled and then sat beside him before gently petting his bandaged head. "How are you feeling?"

It was uncommon, strange and different. It was hard to believe for Kuroko to see Akashi having such an anxious expression. Concern was obvious in his features as he regarded Kuroko's condition. It was a shock for him to see the red-head giving him a gentle pat and a ghost of smile that he never received before. He bit his tongue and swallowed the questions he wanted to ask and closed his eyes as he absorbed the heat of Akashi's hand on top of his head. "A bit sleepy, but I'm fine." He answered honestly and closed his eyes under the red-head' touch.

"I will kill Kagami Taiga for waking you up." He heard Akashi mumble with seriousness and menace.

He stiffened upon hearing the threat. "Anou, I think you don't need to do that, Sei-kun…He probably didn't know that I'm still asleep."

"Who calls someone at four in the morning when all other people are sound asleep at this kind of time?" Akashi grunted.

"Uh, Kagami-kun?" He suggested.

That earned him a glare from the red-head. "Be grateful you have broken ribs, twisted ankle, bleeding head and twisted wrist, because I would have stabbed you with scissors just about now." Akashi threatened.

Akashi's features relaxed as Kuroko suddenly started chuckling a little – a little to the point you wouldn't hear his chuckles—with a very blissful expression. "Hm, and may I ask what the reason is for you to chuckle like that?" The red-head tried to keep his dignity in place and _tried _to sound stern, so the teal-head would be a little serious.

With teary eyes, Kuroko stopped and looked up at his companion. "Now, that's the Sei-kun I know." He whispered.

Akashi frowned with confusion. "I don't quite get what you mean."

Kuroko poked the space between his two eyebrows and reminded, "No frowning, you'll get wrinkles early. The Sei-kun I know is a perfectionist-type of person. He wears a mask of coldness. He's a super and natural sadist. He's—" Just in the middle of his enumeration, the Emperor Eye owner looked up to the other as the latter suddenly stopped from talking and froze in his place when his phone rang again and he took it out to read the Caller ID.

"Tet—"

"It's Oniisan…"

Fear and terror were seen in the teal-head's eyes which were usually emotionless and blank. As his phone continued to ring, his hand began in tremble in fear. His face paled as it rang for another two times.

Kuroko gasped when Akashi suddenly grabbed his phone and removed its' sim card, and memory card before throwing it against the wall. It shattered into pieces on the ground. "Sei—" He started, but was cut off as he saw the red-head's terrifying eyes. "S-Sei-kun—"

"I don't care who it is. I don't care what business he has with you. I don't care what your relationship is. He has no right to frighten you. He has no right to even use you as he did before. And," He paused and turned towards the blue-head before leaning closer towards him to emphasize his words. "That bastard has no right to even lay a hand on you. Not on you, Tetsuya. He doesn't have any right to even touch a strand of your hair."

As Akashi neared his lips with Kuroko's right ear, the latter started to shudder with the red-head's words and breathe against the sensitive part of his ear. "W-Why…?"

Akashi held both of Kuroko's wrists, so that he couldn't push him away and bit the phantom player's earlobe. "Because you're mine." He whispered.

The main words sent shudder to Kuroko's whole body. He shivered with anticipation as Akashi licked the inner part of ear and bit the outer part once again. "S-Sei-kun…" He moaned as the said guy started trailing butterfly kisses from his cheek down to the base of neck.

He began to pant like crazy as Akashi bit hard into his flesh and smirked up at him. His heterochromatic eyes glinting with the illuminating light of the moon. The sight made Kuroko hard, and felt a little heated than before. He was falling deeper into the pit of pleasure when he began to feel light-headed and wobbled.

Akashi's eyes widened when Kuroko started to wobble from his seat. "Tet—"

The pale blue-head fell into his arms with half-opened eyelids. "…Di…zzy…Slee…py…" He mumbled and his half-opened eyes closed slowly as he fell into deep slumber.

Though, the last words he heard were, "Idiot, just right when the mood is better. Hum, oh well. Sleep well, Tetsuya. I'll be right here."

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

_Akashi frowned as he looked around his surroundings. It was a beautiful place. A place filled with colorful blooming flowers. It was filled with the scent of nature and freshness. It was an unusual type of place, and because of that…he felt that something as off. That it was too perfect. Everything around him was too perfect, it scared him._

"…_Sei-kun?" A very, very familiar voice called him from somewhere behind him, so he turned the other way around and found Kuroko standing just few meters away with him with uncertain expression. _

"_Tetsuya."_

"_Sei-kun." Kuroko repeated in surprise and held out his hands. "Let's play basketball, Sei-kun!"_

_He smirked and began walking towards the other. "Not like I have other choices, do I?" He pretended to be a little rude as he continued walking towards his companion, but he felt like the distance between them is not decreasing. "Tet—"_

_He gasped as the scenery around him changed into something horrifying. It was just a matter of seconds when the world turned upside down. The trees became bald. The flowers started to wither and flew with the wind. The bright sky turned into a climate you cannot paint. Even the scent around him smelt like death and pain moved the world. _

"_Sei-kun!" Kuroko yelled as a man in the shadows appeared and grabbed him and took him farther away._

"_Tetsuya! Answer me, Tetsuya!" He shouted as he ran, ran as fast as possible, ran as much as he could, but to no avail, he couldn't catch up and lost the two._

_And worse, no one answered his calls but a scream was heard right after his yells._

He frowned and widely opened his eyes when his hands felt empty. He was just holding Kuroko's hands when he decided to get some asleep.

He looked up from where he was leaning at and realized that the bed where his arms and head were was now empty. The blankets were pooled middle part of the bed and the pillows looked like the person who lain against them just went out a little earlier.

"Tetsuya?" He whispered and stood up.

He was the calm type. He didn't get distressed easily. He didn't get frustrated by such things, but after that dream—

The bathroom's door opened and the said phantom player went out of it. "Sei-kun? Were you calling for me?"

He didn't know if he should strangle the injured guy or slump back into the bed in relief; to his own surprise, he chose the latter and felt his knees give away.

With limping foot and bandages around his head and wrist; the teal-head approached him as fast as he could afford and bent a little to meet his eyes' level. "Sei-kun? Are you alright?"

He looked up suddenly which startled the other. "I'm checking you out of here."

Kuroko's eyes widened with the proclamation and took few seconds before finally reacting. "N-No! Wait, Sei-kun! Y-You can't!"

He began to gather all of the things they would need and things they own. "And why can't I? My orders are absolute; no one must dare o even question me." He snapped.

He only heard silence from behind him and his heart started to beat faster in nervousness, but his pride kept him turned. He waited few more seconds, but Kuroko still didn't reply, so he had no other choice and turned his head a little. His heart sank a little as he saw his companion's hands tremble. The poor teal-head's face paled and his hands trembled along with his bottom lip being bitten in process. "Tet—"

"I've caused you enough trouble, Sei-kun. I—"

With one swift and confident stride, he was infront of the phantom player and shushed him by placing an index finger before his lips. "Don't you even dare apologize."

"But—"

"Tell me that you didn't think that I'm doing these things out of pity? If you did, then you're completely clueless of who I really am, Tetsuya. I'm not a merciful man. I don't feel pity. I love being superior among others. I hate being proven wrong. I hate being belittled. Nonetheless, I don't care about other people. I don't care about their sufferings, their pain, their problems. You could say I have a heart of stone. But, one thing I'm certain, I know how to love. And that is the emotion I have for you and not pity, because I'm merciless." He murmured with terrifying tone which would send chills to anyone, but for the teal-head, it was a comforting sound. Sentences filled with all of his emotions. He lifted the blue-head's chin up so their eyes would meet fair and square. "Do you understand now, Tetsuya?"

The phantom player nodded with a small smile. Kuroko reached out and placed his palm against Akashi's cheek. "…I love you, Sei-kun."

The anger and fury in the red-head's eyes vanished as fast as it appeared. A ghost of smile appeared in his lips. "I know." He replied and leaned down a little to capture the injured guy's lips against his own. "This time I will not allow you to fall asleep." He threatened and deepened the heated kiss.

"Mmmnnnggg…" was Kuroko's only reply.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

Once again, Kuroko woke up because of his cellphone ringing beside his head. It was kind of annoying, but he just sighed and sat up a little to answer it.

**Caller ID: Kagami Taiga**

"Kagami-kun…?" He mumbled and rubbed his eyes.

"_OI! UNTIL WHEN WILL YOU BE ABSENT?! SHEESH, YOU LOVE MAKING OTHERS WORRY, DON'T YOU?!" _The red-head yelled.

He covered his ears in the middle of Kagami nagging and removed them afterwards to answer back, "Sorry about not informing you. I promise that I'll be back and practice with you again… There were just some problems…I might take some more day offs for two days. Just take some notes and let me copy. Thank you."

"_EH?! No way! As if I would take down notes just for you—"_

Before his 'light' could even protest more, he hung up with a polite 'Goodbye.'

He stood up and woobly fixed the bed's blankets and looked around him. He wasn't in the hospital anymore. He...was in Akashi's room. He was just half-awake when he felt his body being carried and then he was in a wheelchair and being transferred inside a van.

He, with limping foot, tried his best to reach the door and when he was just about to twist the knob; he heard shouting and yelling outside the door, probably on the corridor, which made him halt on his place; hands still around the doorknob.

"Why is that guy here?!" A male voice growled in fury. The anger in his voice was obvious and it frightened Kuroko from where he stood and eavesdropped.

"He's not just any guy, father. He has a name. Don't call him _'that guy'." _Akashi Seijuuro stated from outside the door as well.

"I don't care what that guy's name—"

"His name is Kuroko Tetsuya." Akashi impatiently snapped. The combination of irritation and annoyance coated his tone.

"Fine, Kuroko Tetsuya, if that his name. I still don't care. This is my house, why is he here? I didn't give him permission to—"

"You didn't, but I did." Akashi, once again, cut in with menacing tone. It's the tone which he usually used when he's facing his enemies, someone who disobeyed or opposed him, or just someone he truly hated.

"And who are you to make such a decision? If I may remind you, I'm still the master of this household. You are just my son." Akashi Shoujuro snarled.

Kuroko looked up and stared at the door as if he could picture the two debating right outside of this room's door. He had this urge to stop it, but his trembling feet wouldn't let him even make a move. He was the cause of this fight; he should stop it…but he didn't have the courage to do so.

_Tetsuya, you coward. _He snapped to himself.

"I _am _your son, so I think I also have the right in this household. He's a quiet person, he encountered enough, he suffered a lot; I couldn't just leave him alone." He heard Akashi retort.

"Those things are his problems. Not ours. Not mine. Not even yours. You _can _leave him alone, you just don't want to. He's not anyone important from what I can see, he's just—"

"Your prejudice side and selfish side are the main reason why Mother died." The heterochromatic murmured.

The corridor outside was suddenly filled with tense silence, and even Kuroko held his breath inside the room he was in.

"Why did you turn silent? You're guilty? Am I not right? She died because you were so selfish and greedy. You wouldn't even give her few seconds of your time. All you think about is the Akashi's reputation. You couldn't even fight for her when your parents were bad-mouthing her. Maybe that's why she ran away from her one night and got hit by a car. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she—"

"SHUT UP!" Kuroko heard the older Akashi growl and there was suddenly a hard _'smack' _and _'thud' _sound outside the door.

His heart skipped a beat, and he unconsciously twisted the doorknob and limped outside of the room. "Sei-kun!" He gasped as he saw the younger Akashi on the floor, his left cheek red as tomato. He limped towards the red-head and shielded him from the former's father. "Stop it, please."

Akashi Shoujuro was in the middle of grabbing his son's collar when the teal-head blocked his way by spreading his arms with determined eyes."Get out of the way, kid."

Kuroko shook his head. "No."

Akashi began to stand up and rubbed his swollen cheek. "Tetsuya, get out of here."

"No means no." The phantom player murmured as he hid how painful it was to stand up straightly with his feet's condition.

The older red-head narrowed his eyes at him then smirked a little. "Oh? So you're Kuroko Tetsuya, the guy who Seijuuro took here without my permission."

"Kick me out of the house, I don't care, just stop hitting Sei-kun."

"…Sei-kun? You call Seijuuro by his first name?" The man before him queried in awe.

The frown between his two eyebrows slowly faded away with the man's obvious confusion. "…Yes, I do. Why?"

Shoujuro opened his mouth, but quickly closed it and turned with a rejecting look. "It's nothing. Fine, you can stay here, but don't be an eyesore or I, myself, will kick you out of this house." He warned and strode towards the staircase and went downstairs.

Akashi stood up and quickly caught the blue-head as the latter began to wobble. He heaved a long sigh and guided the phantom player to the balcony nearest to them and sat on the allotted bench. "You should have just stayed inside the room, Tetsuya."

Kuroko looked up at the sky. "I can and I should have, I know…but I saw enough. I lost enough. Something lost will never return. Even if it will, it will not be the same. If I let you be beaten up out there and the reason was me, I wouldn't be able to sit here beside you? In fact, I would have run away from here in secret because of shame. I have already let them take away my family. I will not let anyone take _you _away too, Sei-kun."

Those words caught Akashi's attention and he turned slightly at the other. "I think I've given you enough time, Tetsuya. I want explanations. Now."

The blue-head blinked then his gaze fell on the hands on his lap. "…Right after the Winter Cup, precisely two to three days after it…the house was suddenly being massacred with continuous doorbell's ringing. When no one among us four would answer, there were loud knocks on the gate. It was like that for almost two days and I asked for an explanation from my mother, father and brother who all looked bothered and anxious. That was when I found all about it. That's when I found out my parents' and brother's jobs. They all work in the government, accurately, to a very big company and they're people well-trusted by the President of this company, Mayoru Corporation. As a company, it'll surely has its' rival and that's Hikaru Incoporation. I think you've probably heard of the news about Mayoru Corporation's president and vice-president's deaths. As their trusted secretaries –that's what my parents call themselves—they vowed to keep this company's secret in disks no one would know its' whereabouts. As sharp as they were, Hikaru Incorporation's members had found out about what my parents did and threatened us to give up the disks, we couldn't. We couldn't…" He paused and bit his lip. "One night, we were woken up by gunshots which startled us. We knew it was them and they were after the disks. We ran downstairs as fast as we could and went outside the house through the secret passage my Dad made. It was exhausting to be chased around by people who looked both maniacs and gangster-like. After almost an hour of run and chase, we were needed to separate. My parents were caught and my brother and I ran for our lives as they requested. When we knew it was too late, my brother put the two disks of the company's secrets in my wristbands and cried for me to run…"

Akashi glanced at the blue-head as the latter stopped from talking. His heart sank upon seeing tears trail down Kuroko's face. "Tet—"

"He distracted them and I ran away. I was caught for awhile, but miraculously I managed to get away and since they knew about our house's location, I ended up on my cousin's…and that's when all my nightstand work started. I don't know what happened with my parents after I saw them being beaten up and stabbed before we ran away. I don't know if my brother managed to get away. I don't know if they're even alive…"

Akashi chose to silence himself s he heard Kuroko sobbed beside him. He bit his lip and looked at sunset. "My mother died when I was still ten…and that traumatized me a lot because she's very loving and caring. She never left me alone and always took good care of me. When she was still there, I felt like I was the luckiest child alive. Father has always been a selfish man who only cared about our family's reputation; he couldn't even fight for me and my mother. But I'm still his son and I'm doing this, so he will not threat me about being the one to take care of me when I was still young...It's not really my character to say it, but as Ryouta says: 'There's always a tomorrow'."

"There might not be to me anymore, Sei-kun." Kuroko murmured and stared at his bony fingers.

Akashi regarded him with wide eyes. "What…do you mean?"

"I have leukemia. Funny, isn't it? I know it's common for couples that one of them has a major problem, but for me to give you such hardship—"

"Leukemia?!"

Kuroko nodded. "Yes, leukemia…I inherited it from one of my grandparents. It can be cured, but from my life's situation…I'm not really sure if I have even any time to have my surgery…I don't even have the money. Maybe, I'll surprise everyone when I would be found lifeless on the floor—"

He gasped when his face was turned to face Akashi's direction. "Cut it out. Cut it out, Tetsuya. It's not funny. It's not funny!" He snapped. "Have you even thought about what others would feel if you'll die?"

More tears poured down on his cheeks. "But…"

Akashi cupped his cheeks and frowned at him. "Have you thought about what _I _would feel if that happens? Have you?" He whispered and he surprised himself when he felt warm tears drop on his pants. "I've lost my mother in a blink of an eye. Do you know how I would feel if I suddenly find out one day you're dead? I will feel broken and lifeless, Tetsuya. It's not my character to say these things, but I need you to realize that you're important. You might possess misdirection and feel invisible to others at times, but remember this: even if everyone betrays you, even if everyone forgets you, even if the whole world rejects you, there will be someone who'll always love you. That's me, Tetsuya. Me."

Slowly, the tears and sobs began to subdue and Kuroko leaned his head against the red-head's chest and held onto the latter tightly as if he wouldn't, he would lost the Emperor Eye's owner as well. "…Thank you, Sei-kun."

"Your injuries will heal after few more days…We'll wait and then let's play as the Generation of Miracles again." Akashi stated. "From now on, I'll protect you, Tetsuya." He whispered and slipped on one wristband on Kuroko's wrist and one on his own before leaning his head against Kuroko's and closed his eyes.

Kuroko closed his eyes, this time, and nodded. "…Thank you, Sei-kun."

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

Akashi Shoujuro stopped from eavesdropping and headed towards the kitchen.

"Master." The maids inside greeted and bowed.

He nodded at them then ordered, "Make a pot of earl grey tea for Seijuuro and his companion. Bake them the best biscuits and cupcakes as well. I want the dinner for this night to be special, I will be entertaining my son's guest."

The maids' expressions turned blissful upon seeing the small smile on their master's face.

"I believe I have found someone who'll truly make my only son happy. I don't want to furthermore ruin his happiness, so we should celebrate." He added and went to the living room with a ghost of smile.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

Kagami frowned and turned the other way around with a sour expression.

Yes, he was going out with Aomine right now, but damn, he still had feelings for his 'shadow' and he wanted to kill himself for it when he knew from the start it wasn't possible.

His irritation grew upon accidentally seeing Akashi and Kuroko on a mansion's balcony. Was it pure coincidence that that was the district and place where he could find his shoes' size or was it fate fooling around him?

He growled loudly and slammed his apartment's room's door shut and threw himself on the couch.

"_**Fight for him or her if you need to. Life is all about taking risks." **_He remembered Alexandra Garcia, his coach when he was still a kid, advised to him with a wink.

"DAMN IT!" he grunted.

* * *

_**~LFMH021~**_

"Shinjiku."

From where he was sitting at, an orange-head sixteen year old guy looked up. "Yes, Father?"

The older male smirked. "I have found Kuroko Tetsuya's whereabouts. He's attending Seirin Gakuen. You're part of your basketball team and would compete on the incoming contest, right?"

The younger male nodded. "Yes, I will."

"Then, you must win against the Generation of Miracles – the team he's in- and do anything to find out where that Kuroko Tetsuya hid those disks or we'll never win against Mayoru Corporation. Do anything, kill him or anyone who'll get in your way if you have to, got that?"

The orange-head male smiled but it didn't reach his golden eyes. "Yes, Father."

* * *

**Authoress' Note: Unedited Chapter.**

**I hope it wasn't that boring as it seemed to me. **

**Thank you for the support and I'm sincerely sorry for the long wait. Almost a whole month, huh? Sorry about that.**

**PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


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